Forgo Unneeded Catastrophes, 'Kay?
by Toggle Boy Gray
Summary: Sometimes we all need just a little bit of downtime. Too bad mine came at the cost of my life. In a world where kids fight off creatures of darkness, why did I have to be the one that makes the choices? Y'know what? I'mma just sit back relax and...yeah, like that's gonna happen anytime soon. OC! You have been warned!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: (noun) A standard procedure that informs a viewer that we don't own stuff. On that note, I don't own anything. Not even myself. How sad...**

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><p>Chapter 1<p>

"Did it work?" I asked myself. "Because if it did, then this place totally sucks."

Darkness was all that I could see in any direction. No matter where I looked , I was only met with an empty void. Perhaps something had gone wrong with the process I took and it had resulted in me being planted in such a bizarre place?

_"Open your eyes, genius. Honestly, I leave for one minute and you're already lying down on the job. The least you could do is pretend not to be stupid."_

I frowned at this. Why in the world did I ever agree to this in the first place, anyways?

_"Well, first off, you were dying. In many senses of the word, mind you. Secondly, isn't this like a dream come true for you? What did your world have that was so great anyway?" _the voice in my head asked.

"It's not like I was dying on purpose!" I shouted to the air. "No, that one's on the ass that wasn't paying attention to what he was supposed to be doing. And I don't remember agreeing to having a stupid 'Jiminy Cricket' tell me what to do."

The voice sighed in my head before answering me. _"You did agree to becoming a bit-how was it worded again? 'Eccentric', right? So by that definition, you did-"_

I held out my hand in front of me, indicating that this conversation was dropped. Surprisingly enough, the voice must have decided to comply, seeing as how he chose to remain silent. Huh. That was actually pretty considerate of him. It made me wonder if he had a name I could use to refer to him in future conversations.

"_Yeah, I have a name that you can use. I'm just still waiting for you to open your stupid eyes, genius."_

Deciding that I had nothing better to do, I nodded my head before opening my eyes. Orbs of dark brown immediately began to absorb the information of the world around me, the prevailing thought being: Why does it hurt to see?

"OHMYGAWD, WHYYYYYYYYYY?!"

I swore and cursed on the ground, as laughter rang throughout my mind. I just couldn't be bothered to have a body with normal eyes, could I? Nooo, I just have to had to have super sensitive eyes that _happened _to be looking directly at the sun at its peak.

'You just made a big mistake,' I thought to the voice. 'You better pray that I never find a way to get in my mind, 'cause I'm kicking your ass when I find you, got that?' The only response were the dying giggles that served to irritate me in my literal blind anger.

After writhing in pain for a few more minutes, I was finally able to open my eyes again, _after _I turned my head away from the sun and got up. Wherever I was, it was plenty more beautiful than any of the places that I had seen in my previous life.

I was in a clearing in the most healthy-looking forest I thought existed. The trees were abundant, and the leaves formed a pseudo-canopy above my head. I just happened to be in the place where the higher beings decided to place a stupid skylight. Tch.

But still, seeing this new environment was enough to lift my spirits from everything that had occurred prior to my appearance in this world. Here, I didn't have to worry that much about a demanding life. I might actually get to relax without anyone telling me what to-

"AWRHOOOOOOOO!"

...and this is why I don't get nice things. Because almost, always something's going to come along and wreck my crap. I could feel a mental pat on the back from my new companion, yet all it accomplished was me being even more depressed than before.

I sighed at my misfortune that I had grown accustomed to, and decided to search my person for anything that would prove useful to me, quietly swearing once more when I donned a pair of sunglasses that would have been useful earlier. I seemed to be equipped with lightweight greaves, some metallic bindings around my abdominal area, and a pair of unique gauntlets...which I had no idea how to use. It was obvious that these were supposed to be my main mode of combat, but I was severely lacking information on how to use them.

'I supposes if worse comes to worse, I could just these to punch my problems away,' I joked to myself. 'If not, then I guess I could always-'

_"-punch your problems really, really hard! And then some!" _Okay, I had to admit that that was something that brought me out of my pessimistic musings. I guess the voice has his moments from time to time.

It was then that I finally came face to face with one of the beings of this world. Or at least, that's what I thought it was. I was caught off guard as a small black missile collided against my legs, knocking me back on the ground that I was laying on minutes before. I sprang back to my feet, instantly on the alert as I searched the clearing for the unknown thing that had taken to hiding in the shadows of the trees. That alone made me even more wary; I was dealing with a smart opponent.

"Yuuu!"

...or not. Very slowly, a pudgy black smudge stuck its head out from behind a tree trunk, the closest to me in fact. It seemed to be a spirit, albeit a very small one, and seemed to look at me with a look of curiosity and suspicion. For a moment I imagined it to be a child hiding behind its parent's leg when meeting a new person. We stared at each other, never making any sudden movements in case one became startled by the other. It seemed it would be up to me to break the silence, and I gave the creature a genuine smile to see how it would respond.

It was...unexpected, to say the least.

Once more I was screaming, this time in fear, as the little spirit latched onto my face in the split second I had my eyes closed when I smiled. I thought I heard joyful warbles while I was struggling, but they quickly turned into mocking tones that joined with the laughter in my head.

Suddenly the pressure disappeared, which left me dazed and confused at the lack of me dying. Sadly, I had given up prematurely to this world, convinced that I was going to die before I even enjoyed myself. Kinda shows what sorta life I used to live, if my lack of conviction was anything to go by.

The shadow was in front of me this time, staring up at me curiously. I stared back, obviously pissed that it scared the crap out of me for no reason.

_"Oh, dude, I think it's friendly! Let's keep it, yeah? We can make it our battle mascot, and stuff!" _My palm promptly made contact with my face at the incredibly absurd idea that was proposed. Which prompted the puny smudge to trill in amusement again. I just can't catch a break, can I?

**"AWRHOOOOOOOO!"**

...Dick move world. Dick. Move.

My body tensed once more for combat, as my eyes shifted to the rustling bushes just a ways off. The small spirit had taken to climbing up my back and hanging off my neck, which didn't bother me too much, seeing as he(?) seemed to be weightless. It was quite a risk since I imagined the little thing would have been quite capable of strangling me from its position, at the most changing form to impale my throat multiple times, but as I have said, I didn't have that much faith in myself anyways.

_"You'll be fine, you big baby. And don't think so negatively about our little bud! We're awesome, and by extension, so is he." _My face would have been firmly planted in my palm if it wasn't for the fact that something was about to kill me in fifteen seconds. _"Oh, hey, furry alert at three o'clock."_

I jumped back from said direction in order to put distance between me and whatever it was that had possibly made that howl. Unfortunately this also had the added affect of attracting said creature'a attention.

The first thing I noticed were the teeth and claws. Damn, those things looked nasty. As it slowly stalked toward me in a wary crouch, I was able to observe my foe in better detail. It was tall, very tall. And its fur was black all over, no other colors present anywhere. But the clincher was how I immediately recognized the canine-like humanoid I front of me.

Why did it have to be freakin' werewolves?

Thankfully the beast was alone, lacking the backing of the power of the pack. Sure, that should have been the norm for a turned humans to isolate themselves from society, but it was best not to look the gift horse in the mouth. In response to my continued silence, it began a low growl that was the preamble to its attack. It seemed that it was time for me to learn how to use my gauntlets. And fast.

As was customary to the fighting style I picked up from my past, I allowed the abomination to charge me before my instincts took over. A claw swung toward my face with every intention of ending me right there, but I had already sidestepped the attack and had jumped up to retaliate with a swift head kick. My luck proved itself again just one moment I left the ground.

"WHY AM I FLYIIIING!?"

Well, technically I was jumping _really_ high. At least, by my standards I was. I mean, it was my dream to jump like a boss, but fifteen feet in one go was a bit too much for my simple mind to handle.

_"Hmm, so you have an enhanced body, that's gonna come in handy, especially that thing...ooh! You have an internal energy! Use it, use it, use it , use it-"_

"Shut up, dammit!" I yelled as I finally hit ground. Ouch. "If you haven't noticed, we're sorta gonna die if I don't figure out my crap, and the last thing I need is your input!" I swung my arm out in frustration, and was shocked to see a large glowing nail fly from the gauntlet and sink into a nearby tree.

_"Okay, so a combination of that energy I mentioned activated by some emotion made that happen, we could probably just use pure willpower from now on to do that based off initial assumptions. Praise me senpai!"_

'Yeah, yeah, you're a genius we get it. Now if you don't mind, I've got a beast to run away fro-'

A clawed hand slammed across my chest and I was sent flying into a tree. Instead of snapping like a toothpick, my body somehow was able to withstand the blow, albeit with minor bruising. Heck, I think even those were starting to fade away as I climbed back to my feet.

"Ohhhohohohoho..." I eyed the oversized mutt in front if me and a sadistic gleam twinkled in my eye. "You my friend have made a very big mistake. And a crazy bastard like me with nothing to lose..." I made a show of shifting into a classic boxing stance.

"You're going to learn the hard way why even I fear myself!"

With the new energy enhancing all my physical faculties, my arms moved like blurs as numerous oversized nails shot from my gauntlets. I wasn't surprised that the werewolf dodged the first onslaught, but my eyes slightly widened when I realized that I as aiming at viable crippling shots at a creature whose anatomy I hadn't the first clue about. Go me.

I smiled as the first nail impaled itself in one of the beasts kneecaps, muscle and bone giving way to the high speed metal needle. My smile widened as I saw the second nail pierce after. And the third. And The fourth. By the twelfth nail I had the most insane grin on my face. And it wasn't going to go away anytime soon.

By this time the beast was reduced to a quivering ball of hair-each limb having been impaled three times-it was strangely taking on a kneeling position. And yet despite all the unimaginable pain that it must have been going through, its look remained the same. There was no defiance, not even a trace of fear in its eyes. All I could see was the instinct to kill the thing that was right in front of it: me.

A thought hit my head. 'I wonder...' For the final time, I shot a nail at the now silent bipedal wolf, pleased to see the chain that was now protruding from its chest. I walked up to it n a nonchalant manner, before wrapping a generous length of chain around its neck. 'And now...'

"Upsy Daisy!"

I jumped over the thickest tree branch that I could find and tried a new experiment. I was once again satisfied to see the weapon obey my mental command; the chain was now retracting back into my gauntlet at a furious pace, dragging the cursed being across the ground for an abrupt moment before being suspended by its neck.

"Damn, you're a heavy bastard!" I exclaimed as the creature before me weakly struggled against it's forced suffocation. "Let's see if I can put that to good use, shall we?"

I jumped up into the air, the chain slackening at the lack of resistance. And right as the wolf began it's downward descent, I roughly yanked my arms downward, bringing back the upward force on the neck. With the combined forces of gravity and tension, I was rewarded with a resounding snap of its vertebrae.

I quickly released the chain from my gauntlet, bringing down the body of my victim for a painful 'thud'. Having never fought for my life before I let the adrenaline rush through my body, relaxing and focusing my mental state to analyze the chaos that I had wrought on the poor animal. I kept breathing out hoarsely and inhaling as much air to get to my addled brain. And when the severity of what I did hit me, I responded the only way I could.

"BERLAAAAAUGH-KAAH, KUH, cough, cough, ugh...haaaaah...haaaaah-hurk-!"

Everything around me was blocked out as I offered the contents of my stomach to the forest gods. Emotions ran through me, the most prevalent of them being remorse, anger, and doubt. Remorse that I had taken another's life, anger that I gave myself no other choice than murder, and doubt that this situation was even happening to me. So entrapped was I in my self pity that I couldn't here the soothing words of my mental companion, nor the worried warbling of our small friend. My retching even covered up the footsteps of the man that had watched my spectacle with a somewhat concerned curiosity.

"And if I may be so bold, may I ask the name of the trespasser that has happened to chance upon a Grimm near our school?"

I choked up again as the familiarity of that voice and term resonated with not-so-far-away memories. 'Theres no freakin' way. That buffoon wouldn't have sent me there. Would he?'

I slowly lifted my gaze, only to look upon the face of an intelligent calm-faced man. It was enough to send me shivering in a mix of anger and despair.

The man in question was clad in black and green, all that my befuddled mind was able to comprehend. He was bespectacled, with silver hair and brown eyes that openly conveyed his experience and wisdom. He was the headmaster of Beacon Academy, the one I knew as Professor Ozpin. And I was a trapped rat under his gaze.

"Er, hello sir. I, ummm...my name is Gray!" Yeah, really smooth, me.

_"Seriously, even I could have done a better job at lying to the man than you did. If it was Goodwitch on the other hand..."_

'And how in the worl- err, Remnant did you even know about her?'

_"It's in your head man. Speakin' of, you my man are not as innocent as I thought you were."_

'Don't I know it. Anyways, now is not the time for this mental bull-'

"Are you alright? You keep grimacing," Ozpin asked with mild worry. Crap, now I have to make up some excuse. Let's see umm...

"My head's still affected by a minor concussion I had just a while ago. I think it explains what I'm doing around here." Alright, now bite the fish.

"Oh? And just how would that explain your being here young man?" Bingo.

"I may have had a slight disagreement with my previous partners, which may have caused them to resort to blunt force trauma, which might explain why I woke up in a place that I don't recall ever traveling to." Please buy it, please buy it!

Ozpin raised an eyebrow at this as he observed me. Luckily my BS face just happened to be the same as my default indifferent look, so I didn't really have to make an effort to hide my true intentions. That didn't stop the feeling of my heart stopping when I noticed his eyes narrow.

"And what could possibly cause someone to attempt murder on an associate?"

Craaaaaap. How do I cover this up? I haven't read enough fanfiction for this! Damn, looks like I'm winging it from here.

I refused to meet eyes with him, something that he immediately noticed, and put on the most shamed face that I could pull. Unsurprisingly, it came naturally to me, another tidbit that I found quite sad. I completed the charade by clenching my hands tightly together in front of me.

"Um, can you not beat me up or yell at me over what I say next?" Ozpin stared confusedly at me but he quickly responded with a prompt nod. "I'm kind of, umm, well I guess you could call me, uh, a thief, I guess..." One of my hands subconsciously went up and started rubbing its opposite arm, a gesture I had seen in many depictions of this situation. Weird.

The silence that followed was killing me. I know that he was trying to determine the truth in my words and actions, but the man'a constant stare at me had me thinking that he didn't buy a word of my excuse of a sob story.

It continued like this for a moment before he spoke up. "You're telling me that a mere thief," he gestures at me, "was able to do all of this?" He finished as he waved to the fallen Beowolf's body plus trees littered with nails. I had long since driven the death to the back of my mind, it's reminder only serving to make me turn green and away from the sight as my hands proceeded to keep my gusts inside of me.

"Urk! Ugh, harder...than it looks, ugh. Never...had to do this before."

An eyebrow was raised at this. "You're telling me that you've never taken the life of another living being before? That seems counterproductive to a 'thief', if I do say so myself." The almost sarcastic tone was almost lost on me. The familiar tone, unfortunately for him, was deeply imprinted into my memory, curse my life.

I frowned at what he said, my pride-at least that's what I thought it was-insulted at the insinuation. "Tch, what a guy can't go about not killing people? I think I prefer life, thank you very much. But the Grimm is something that the world is better off without, if you ask me," I replied as I turned my head away.

Okay, so I mostly did that in self-defense and to release some pent up frustration/stress, but hey! People have jobs killing Grimm, so no skin off my nose, right?

"...Indeed."

I turned around, and my mouth dropped in horror when I was met with the almost smirking face from someone I viewed as a final boss character. Frozen in place, the fear constricting my heart and mind prevented me from taking any action as the man circled around me.

"It would be a shame if a man like you were to waste his talents committing petty crimes." Oh crap, I think I messed up somewhere. "And judging by what you have told me, you have no place to turn back to, and possible enemies that might want you to keep your silence...'permanently'." No, no, no...

"In light of these observations, I believe that I could offer a possible course of action." Why you sneaky, little- "I am offering you a place at my school. There, you will be able to blend in with your peers while learning a more proper trade. That, and in the event that someone tries to cause you harm, you will be protected by staff and student alike...not that you won't be a capable of it, but every small bit of help counts, does it not?" He finished whilst flashing me a smile.

I knew he was observing still, but I couldn't care less about that! I was absolutely livid! Not only did I give him unnecessary info that could compromise me, but he used that against to put me in a position so that I could constantly under his watch. I always knew that the man was smart and cunning, but...the man had played me like a damn fiddle.

He was slightly startled when I began chuckling to myself, and he soon took a step back as small giggles gave way to full-blown laughter. The strange thing? There was not a single negative tone to be heard. I respected the man too much, and I had always been easily impressed when someone had gotten the better of me. Ozpin was just another man to watch for.

_"Definitely. But don't worry about it! You've still got me and the little guy!"_

I grasped at my neck for the ethereal being, only to be met with cloth. I gazed in wonder at the now demonic looking scarf wrapped around my throat. It seemed that I had managed to pick up an ectoplasmic shapeshifting infant. How quaint.

_"Indubitably!"_

Ozpin seemed to be second-guessing himself now, probably concerned about my mental well being, or that of his students. It seems petty, but I count that as a win in my book.

"Alright then, 'sir'," I began as I stuck out my hand. "It looks like you landed yourself a new student." He looked at my hand with a tiny bit of apprehension before taking into his own. He quickly shifted into his poker face and graced me with the words that may initiate a blessing or a curse.

"Welcome to Beacon."

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><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

**So yeah, I'm writing again. I probably would have done so sooner if my computer didn't crash and wipe my stories entire futures out, leaving me in a writer's depression. Not that they won't be updated. Until then, enjoy some short little bits of insanity, courtesy of my phone.**

**Oh, and I've started playing video games and watching anime again, plus am working an extra day to "train" a new guy (yeah right, last time that happened I got an extra day tacked onto my schedule), so expect plenty of delay.**

**Also, thinking of adding an OC team to this story. Personally I think it's too much of a hassle, but, well, meh.**

**Enjoy the day!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY. She is the child of the incredible genius, the late Monty Oum, who was a lot better than most people. May he never be forgotten.**

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><p>Chapter 2<p>

_"You are either the most insane genius or the stupidest moron on this entire planet right now. I mean, you know that rule about inserters, right?"_

'Ayup. But I think that fun and benefits take precedence on this occasion, no?' I slipped on a pair of red tinted glasses. Nice.

_"I mean, seriously, the hell?! Damn, it seemed like a semi-good idea at first, but I don't know. It seems a lot more risky now that we're here, y'know?"_

Now, without context, none of what we were saying actually makes a lick of sense. Sure, you can sense the delicacy (read: idiocy) of the situation, but it just needs a bit of context to understand the finer details of the situation. Or the fact that I was in a snazzy suit.

So. There I was...

[Initiate Flashback]

"What exactly are you doing?" Oh? It seems the grandmaster wizard has deemed it necessary to grace me with his presence. An honor, to be sure.

My no-doubt bloodshot red eyes peered back into Ozpin's own, the dark bags under mine clearly revealing the many sleepless nights I have had. "Oh screw off Oz, I'm just doing a bit of studying and research to familiarize myself with this wor- weird excuse of a school. As you can see, me no speak too good when I'm tired, distracted, and...and...some other third thing, but you get the idea." And there was the fact that I practically knew nothing about Remnant at all. Hence the school library.

It's funny really. I always thought that once someone left their world that they became some sort of bonafide badass that lost every negative quirk that they had. Me? I found myself once again enamored with every and any sort of book that I could get my hands on just for the sake of it. I guess I really am a bibliophile at heart.

Which is why I was here in the first place. As the saying goes, 'knowledge is power', so why not take advantage of the school's 'kindness' and figure out what makes this world go round?

The gray haired man picked up one of the books from the mess that I had in front of me, and proceeded to read the title. "Metalworking for the Simple Soul: Weapon, Armor, and Tool Edition?" If his raised brow was anything to go by, then it seems that my hunt for knowledge has not failed me. But we'll get to that later.

"Gimme that!" I exclaimed as I snatched the book out of his hands. "I thought that I lost this after the power nap I took! Now I can get back to this topic and not stress about having to pay for lost items!" Also a story for another time!

The older man gave me that endearing smile of his before interrogating me. I refuse to say that he was just 'asking questions' for the sole reason that I felt like a trapped rat in his presence, especially when it was him and I all alone.

"So how have you taken the new adjustments to school life?"

I averted my eyes as I thought back to what had proceeded the day I was forced into Beacon. "Well..."

[Flashback Within Flashback]

_"Because you can't get too confusing with another flashback, right?"_

'Shut up you,' I quipped to my inner voice. 'We're only getting a room at the moment, so why the hell are you talking about flashbacks?'

_"Because I, like someone else you know, can break walls. So phhhbbtttt!"_

'...Really? Seriously? Did you just blow a raspberry in my freaking mind? If I find out that that affected me in any way, I will make good on my promise to hurt you when I find you.'

_"Pfft. I'm shaking." _Click.

Damn it, he cut off the mental connection. Good thing too. It seems that we've reached our destination.

Ozpin must have seen my changing emotion on my face again, his own reflecting the curiosity and wariness that had been present the last time he saw me like that. In any case, I count that as a win.

The man cleared his throat before explaining where we were. "This is where you'll be staying at for the remainder of your time in Beacon," he said as the door opened in front of him. "You will find that it should have all the proper accommodations for your needs. However, you will have to provide yourself with your own personal effects and entertainment. We are also not liable for any injuries you manage to inflict on yourself."

His words fell on deaf ears, my eyes taking in the sight of my soon to be secret lair.

'I am so cashing in that divine favor as soon as Ozzy leaves,' I thought to myself. I faced said headmaster with a bow, poorly concealed gratitude adorning my face as I pondered all the possibilities for my new base. Spoiler alert, I was definitely going to waste it on something incredibly stupid.

[Flash in Flash End/Flashback Resume]

On that day I had received the best earliest Christmas/Birthday present that I would ever receive for the rest of my life.

"Honestly, I don't know how to feel about all of this," I said while scratching absently at my scalp. "I mean I haven't really been to the classes, just mostly staying in the room that you loaned to me." Bitch please, that room is mine now, but you don't need to know that. Nor what I do or did in there. "If anything, I just want to make the most of it and take advantage of your hospitality in order to further myself in all areas that I find myself to be lacking. Hence the book massacre that you see before me."

Unfortunately, that was the best way to describe the scene that lay before me. Tens, if not hundreds, of books lay across the line table that I was occupying, each and every one thoroughly scuffed, dog-eared, and unceremoniously scattered upon one another. Though most of it was history, I decided to pick up anything that I found practical for battle scenarios. Also a bit of fiction and fantasy. The manga selection was actually quite diverse.

"I...see. Well. It seems that you seem to be adjusting, not quite how I'd imagine it, but you are. As headmaster of Beacon, surely you must know how adamant I am in ensuring that my students are...moderately safe."

"Because of the fact that you have to willingly allow them to fight against soulless monsters that are hellbent on trying to destroy all of humanity? Or because they try to become vigilantes of justice when they let their skill sets inflate their egos?" I asked, absentmindedly ticking out the reasons on my fingers.

"...remind me again why I let you stay in my school again."

"Oh, that's because you think that I am an interesting individual that can provide you with some sort of cruel entertainment. That or you need every man you can get in your own private army. I mean look at all these Hunters and Huntresses gathered in one place! If that doesn't scream out private mercenary teen army, then I have lost faith in the intelligence of mankind." I wasn't kidding either. Then again the regular populace didn't seem to have a problem with this arrangement, so who was I to judge?

Ozpin stared at me for all of fifteen seconds before saying, "...just remember to put all of these books away when you're done. In the exact place you found them. Afterward you may go on that little excursion to Vale for the clothing and necessities that you are in need of."

The bastard had the gall to smile when he saw the look of horror that slowly crept onto my face. "A-all of them?" His grin increased in size as he nodded.

"B-but, but, but-"

"Thank you so much for understanding! It's hard to find people as selfless and kind as you, willing to take responsibility for their actions!" Ozpin yelled over his shoulder as he walked out of sight.

Trapped in the despair of my own making, it was impossible for me to stop my own knees from giving out from underneath me, as I wailed out in defeat and self loathing.

"NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooo..."

[Flashback End]

_"Wait, but that still doesn't explain why you're in a snazzy suit though!"_

"Yeahhh, about that...I decided that I'd rather tell the story through summarative exposition than through extensive flashback sequences; did you know that we were actually given a flashback limit? That's so stu-"

_"Hey, focus! Give us a recap before Canon starts without us!"_ the disembodied voice cried out as I (we; me being proxy for him) spotted a group of similarly dressed thugs that sported the same clothing l was wearing.

"Um, alright fine. So I decided that the best thing to do was to look for Junior's night club place so that I could figure out the goings on in Vale. However, I couldn't find it because of my crap sense of direction and impatience, the former of which I didn't lose when I landed in Remnant. So instead I just wandered throughout the city while licking a cone of ice cream. I still don't remember where I got that from. I seriously need to pay better attention to these things." As my targets filed out of the alley and into the street I snuck right behind them, hoping to blend in by looking intimidating and occasionally sneering at random passerby.

I decided to finish the rest of the story by thought, considering I was within whispering distance of the 'bad guys'. 'After a couple days of walking around aimlessly was when I found my lucky break; I happened to chance upon a store that displayed Junior's thugs' uniforms as an on-sale item. I was really hoping that it was all a big gag though. I mean, who in their right mind sells henchmen uniform in a cosplay specialty shop?'

_"Hey, we're here!"_

I clenched my right hand, oddly wrapped in a black cloth, as I walked into the dust shop. Thankfully none of the flunkies noticed as I had joined their small group. Mission Objective One: Complete.

Then a hand gripped my shoulder, tight enough that I couldn't easily slip away. Shit.

"Hey." I turned to see one of my fellow henchies face me. "Stop standing around new guy. We're on the clock, so no screwing around," he said as I breathed out an inner sigh of relief. "Search the place for any potential hiding spots, got it? You can guard the entrance afterwards, in case someone gets ballsy enough to try to get the drop on us. You get all that?"

I curtly nodded. "Um. Search the premises for loot stashes, and guard our six upon completion of prior task."

He took a closer look at me as I felt the dam of sweat and nerves threatening to break free. "...sigh. Military life must be getting rough if you being here is anything to go by, kid."

Nodding again, I then proceeded to make my way toward the door, watching as one of the goonies headed in the direction of a telltale red hood. 'That guy's life is going to suck in 3...2...-

KRSSH!

I winced as a streak of black and red broke through the window and brushed past me. My eyes sparkled in awe as the collapsible sycther-rifle fully unfolded in front of me. I had to keep myself from squealing like an idiot fanboy. Unfortunately for me, the moment was ruined when a bunch of thugs in suits rushed past me to engage her.

_"We gotta do something!" _the voice yelled in fear.

I scoffed at this. 'She'll be fine.' A random thug flew past my head. 'Juuuuust fine.' I was mildly surprised by my lack of reaction from the gunfire, but meh. It was probably a good thing anyway.

I stood stock still as one Roman Torchwick casually walked out of the store behind me, jauntily swinging his cane.

One of his hired hands landed between us and he let out a sigh. "You were worth every cent. Truly, you were." His gaze then lands on me. "...well, I guess not everyone wants to get beat up by a little girl."

I shrugged, then motioned to a ladder on a nearby building. He waved me off, giving me permission to run ahead of him. As I ran off I grabbed a discarded rifle and made my way up the ladder.

_"Dude, he totally knows that we're screwing with him! Whatever you do, don't do anything stupid!"_ A not-so-small explosion in the background motivated me to ascend even faster.

'What, and what I did earlier doesn't count?' I hefted myself onto the rooftop, only to be shadowed by Roman and Ruby. 'Geez, that wasn't quick at all!' I thought sarcastically.

"Hey!"

Before anything else could be said, everyone present, me included, jumped back in shock at the sound of gunfire. I had begun to fire erratically in Ruby's direction, purposefully missing but shooting closely enough so as to not cause suspicion. "Back I say! I have a gun and I'm not afraid to use it!"

Ruby stared worriedly at me while Roman face palmed himself, softly muttering 'idiot' when he thought I wasn't paying any attention. "Just get in the damn plane," he said as the plane conveniently made its entrance.

"Roger Boss!" I gave him a quick salute then stuck a tongue out at Ruby as I began my second ascension of the night. 'So what do you think happens now?'

_"I really don't know, I really don't want to think about it. Let's be glad that we got this far and didn't get hurt. Hey, maybe we can contact Ozpin and relay information."_

I mentally scoffed as I climbed aboard the Bullhead, another explosion going off behind me. 'As if we really needed more of those tonight,' I thought to myself before thinking back to the voice, 'but yeah, let's try to relay info to Oz. I don't think I'd trust anyone else with what we might potentially find.'

I didn't have time to think anything else as I was suddenly and forcefully thrown back against the interior of the Bullhead. I groaned as I could feel the dull throbbing pain of a concussion starting in my skull. I never noticed the pair of feminine legs approach the open hatch that I had just entered.

_"Shit! Are you alright? Hold up, I can check that...okay, minimal head trauma and disorientation, manageable pain...phew! The dizziness should fade soon, but the pain will stick for an hour, two tops. You're lucky that you don't have any internal bleeding from that."_

'Murglehurgruhbuh,' I mind-mumbled back, clutching my head from the still constant pain. Attempting to stand, I sidled up against the wall to push and steady myself on it. I could hear some snippets of conversation outside my vision.

"-one of us." "I know."

Eh? What was that supposed to mean? I winced as short, multiple shrieks made by the impact of metal on metal was made above me. I further grimaced as I realized that I could hear the battle between Glynda and Cinder in full detail. Shaking my head again, I finally cleared away the blurriness in my visio-

_"Oh no."_

I tried to comprehend what was going on, before someone positioned me in front of...the open hatch. I looked up to see Roman Torchwick himself, smirking knowingly at me, cane-'Melodic Cudgel,' I noted absentmindedly-pointed at my chest.

Oh. That 'oh no'.

"Nice try." he said as a targeting reticle snapped up.

Eyes widening in realization, my arms crossed in front of me to take the inevitable impact.

"No, don't-!"

* * *

><p>As the Bullhead rose up above the clouds, Ruby Rose turned to face the Huntress. A real Huntress! She inwardly squealed as that thought was processed in her head. She took in a breath when-<p>

BOOM!

Both females' eyes snapped up in the direction of the fleeing Bullhead, only to see a very curious and worrying sight.

"Is that a...?"

It was too far up to clearly identify whatever was falling. It appeared to be a streak of black descending from the heavens, tinges of red and orange the only vibrant colors marring the falling form. And it was trailing smoke.

As Glynda watched the descent of the UFO (unidentified falling object), Ruby was having some strangely conflicted thoughts. On one hand something very curious was happening right in front of her. On the other hand, ohmygodtheresareallivehuntressrightinfrontofmewhatdoIsaywahtdoIdo-

Ruby took a very prolonged mental gasp as she tried to sort her thoughts.

'Alright Ruby, focus! All I have to do is decide which is more important! Meteor. Huntress. Meteor. Huntress-' Anyone who knew the poor girl's thought process knew how one-sided her choice would be. Yes, her close-eyed thinking pose that she had just adopted was not fooling anyone.

Unknown to her, the now identified falling figure was streaking dangerously close to her location.

"Get down!"

Ruby was forced to drop as a large tremor coursed through the building, a short impact that lasted for only a moment. When she was sure that the world wasn't ending she snuck a peek, sighing in relief when the only noticeable change was a dense smoke trail.

"Whoa..."

Ruby and her idol, who had recovered much more quickly from the sudden shock, both peered over the edge of the rooftop. They were greeted with the sight of a now horribly mangled dumpster, thick puffs of smoke still emanating from within.

With a nod to each other they both proceeded to make their way back to street level. Once they had neared the dumpster in the alley, they began to hear very distinct male groans coming from within the destroyed container.

Surprise alighted in their eyes as they beheld the form of a young teen male, the very same person who was shooting his gun around like a possessed maniac. Said male had his eyes slightly open, an aspect that did not mix well with the blood running down his scalp and the glazed look he had.

He momentarily gained focus to see he had company, but dismissed them in order to voice his own concerns.

"My ass...wh-why is it always the ass...?"

Yes, better first impressions would probably not have been made that day.

* * *

><p>The woman known as Cinder Fall gazed down below at the city, still looking in the direction in which the unknown person had 'fallen'. "I can't believe you did that. Fool!" She muttered mostly to herself.<p>

Unsurprisingly, Roman Torchwick, who was now in the middle of piloting a flying metal death trap, snorted as he heard this. "What? You and me both know that that guy wasn't one of the ones that we 'asked' for," he said while miming quotations with his fingers. "If he came back with us, who knows what kind of trouble he would have gotten us in."

Both individuals in the Bullhead remained quiet for a short duration. Then, "...Roman. I'm going to ask you a few questions. Which you will answer honestly. And the final thing you tell me will answer why I wanted you to detain that man."

The criminal shrugged. "Fine, fine, ask away, oh dear conspirator."

Cinder stood beside him as he continued to pilot the ship. "Who came up with this pathetic excuse of a robbery?"

He sighed in resignation and rolled his eyes. "I did."

"And who did you ask for permission to commit said robbery?"

Roman scowled. "I went to you, as per our agreement." He never really liked that part of how they agreed to handle each other's business. What was she getting at, anyway?

Cinder then sat in the copilot's chair, crossing a leg over the other as she did so. "Mhmm. And did you tell any of your hired hands a single detail of your plan beforehand? Of what the job that they would do entailed?"

Roman was silent. "...no, I didn't." he said as his eyes narrowed. That lack of knowledge was also a part of the heist, so that didn't change anything.

"Very good, Roman! Now, for the last question...," she toggled the autopilot and pulled him in until they were face to face, "Why. Was. He. There?"

A lone green eye (the other being fringe-covered) glared back at the intimidating amber stare that met him. Roman's mind didn't have to work that hard to direct himself to the answer that his 'partner' had concluded. Even he thought that it was a no-brainer; he mentally smacked himself for not thinking of this sooner. Not that he was to blame, really. He was in the middle of a criminal operation after all.

"He...he knew, didn't he." he stated more than asked.

Cinder slow-clapped mockingly at this. "Give the man a prize! He can actually use a minute portion of his brain!" Her face made an immediate one-eighty. She supported one of her arms by the elbow, the other coming up so that she could rest her cheek on its proffered hand. The bored look she gave the pumpkin-haired man irritated him; it was the look that she reserved when she felt that she was interacting with a complete imbecile. "And I wanted to bring him back because...?"

"He knew something that he shouldn't have." Roman answered immediately.

"Exactly." The lone woman flipped her hair with the hand that her cheek was previously laying on. "And we know how absolutely thorough the both of us are when it comes to spy-proofing our bases of operations. And yet he had _you _pegged from the very beginning." Roman didn't miss the insinuating jab in that last comment. "And now that we know that he knows...

We'll be ready for him."

* * *

><p>The moment I opened my eyes was the moment I knew that my plan was shot straight to hell. Though I had never been in one in my past life, the desolate, encroaching aura that came off of interrogation room pretty much annihilated any doubts I may have harbored. The fact that there was a one-way mirror, a single table in the middle of the room, and that I was cuffed down to one of the chairs (which had a cushion, strangely enough) was definitely not a dead giveaway. The hanging light was also a nice touch.<p>

"Aaand I failed again. Why am I not surprised?" I said to myself as I shook my head in self-mockery.

"What did you fail at?" "SHIT!" SLAP!

If my hands were not bound I would have soothed the stinging pain on my left cheek. I settled for glaring at the offender before realizing who was next to me.

"Wait, Ru-rude, little brat that was on the roof and kicked my buddies?! Why are you in jail?" I let out an exaggerated gasp. "Did you finally realize the error of your ways and joined the Dark Side?" I asked with genuine curiosity.

She scoffed. "I would never do that!" she stated indignantly.

If I could, I would have wagged a finger at her. "Ah, but we have cookies," I said knowingly. I smirked as I was rewarded with a conflicted look on her face. "Best chocolate chip I ever tasted too!"

She then chose to kick my shin before turning away in a pout. Meanie. And here I thought we could have started an 'Evil Cookies Club' together.

_"You pushed the wrong button there, pal. You how_ _much she loves cookies."_

'Oh hey, there you are. Question: Why aren't we dead? I mean, I can check off diving without a parachute off my bucket list (unsurprisingly the last item on the list), but I'm pretty sure that would have killed me. And you know what they say...'

I smiled as I heard a mental sigh. _"People die when they are killed, I know, I know. Sigh...how did you con me into supporting that series anyway?"_

'Pfft, by magic!'

_"You mean magecraft?"_

'You shut your mouth. I-'

Click

Oh...shit.

I averted my gaze downwards, well aware of the scene that I had found myself in. So instead of following what I had memorized by heart, I went with whatever popped up in my mind.

"I take full responsibility for my actions, ma'am. The rest of my company were under separate orders, but I assure you that we were the ones who provoked the conflict. I actually am quite impressed by how impressed this girl handled the situation swiftly to ensure that we had no time to initiate further hostile actions. If I was still serving, I'd have done something to commend this girl's actions. Speaking of which, did you happen to chance upon any of my coworkers? We were supposed to rendezvous somewhere, but I was never given the coordinates...oh! I don't know if you can tell, but I'm starting to ramble, really I'm just waiting for some-"

THWAP!

I shut up and faced away from a very irate Glynda Goodwitch, who seemed to be on the verge of committing bodily harm on me, eyes closed in deep frustration. The crop/wand thing didn't look that hospitable either.

"Hey! I don't need you defending me!" Ruby whispered to me, trying not to draw the attention of the angry Huntress.

"But you did good tonight, right?" Her faced gained a slight tinge of her namesake. "Look, we had opposing ideals, and you won out. I can handle losing, but it's not losing if both sides feel terrible about their actions. Lighten up; if anything, you did kick butt out there, which was sorta cool..." I said as I tried to avoid her adorably confused look. Curse Monty for making such a cute girl!

_"Oooh, someone's got it baaaad!"_

"You shut your mouth!" ...oops

Receiving the two questioning looks-well, a glare and a look-I felt extremely awkward as silence fell upon the room.

Click.

"I'm sorry I'm late, I would have been here sooner if..." Words seemed to fail the man as his eyes landed on me. And now Ozpin's here. Nothing can possibly top this!

...

...

...

...Sweet, no more surprises.

* * *

><p>So. Here we were.<p>

Two top class killers, one killer-in-training, and an idiot from another world. Not a shabby group, if I do say so myself.

"And what exactly where you two doing this fine night?" the Oz man asked me and Ruby. We both knew who he was, so we really didn't want to lie to him.

"I was defending myself and stopping a robbery." "I was trying to infiltrate a criminal organization in the hopes that I could send information and help take it down from the inside."

I turned my head side to side as I gauged everyone's reactions. Gotta say, I didn't really like the 'are you trying to kid us with that bullshit?' look that they were giving me. "What? I'm not lying, I swear! I really did try to integrate myself with known criminals in the hopes that I could be beneficial to my fellow humanoids! Why else would I be wearing such a kickass suit?"

"Maybe we should have left him in the dumpster..." the female professor said.

"Wait, you found him in a dumpster?" Ozpin asked.

'Hey, guys, how you holding up?' I inwardly asked, totally ignoring everyone else around me. This was gonna become a bad habit, I could feel it.

_"Oh for-y'know what? Just call me The Voice from now on! If you're going to call me something, than I'd rather be the arrogant bastard with the deserving capitals in his name/title. Also, Gris-Gris seems to be alright too!"_ The black cloth on my right hand rustled around to prove its point.

'Sigh, tell me again how you were able to convince me to name him...well, that?'

_"You like to party with corpses. 'Nuff said."_

'...' Yeaah, I really couldn't argue with that. 'Damn, I knew I should have changed my name to Gris. I mean, Gray is such a typical name for this sort of world, am I right?'

The Voice was more contemplative on this. _'Yeaaah, you also don't really qualify for gray with all the morals you have. More of a, say, lightish gray. With spots of black. lots of spots.'_

'Sigh, whatever. Well at any rate, how do you think tonight went? I mean, sure I got myself into more trouble than was worth it, but nothing changed for the worst, right?'

_"The bad guys know you exist. And they know what your face looks like. I think it's safe to say that you are completely fu-"_

"I'm sorry, but is that boy alright? He's been staring blankly ahead for quite some time now, and he seems to be completely detached from what's happening right in front of him." I blinked as I recognized that I was being acknowledged by one of the current occupants of the interrogation room.

"Don't worry about Gray, he's actually a very simple individual. A tad unusual in some cases, but never a liability."

"I'm right here, Ozzy." I said in a bored manner. "Oh hey, so is this the super levelheaded, no-nonsense Glynda Goodwitch that you're always mentioning when you talk about the staff? 'Cause I gotta say, she is a lot more intimidating than you made her out to be."

She glared at me before pointedly going back to Oz. "You know him?"

"Yeah, you guys know each other?" Ruby asked innocently.

Me and the other male in the room gave each other the same look before going, "Long story; Don't ask."

"So what happens to us?" I asked as I began to absentmindedly spin a pair of handcuffs around my finger. "I mean, I am definitely in trouble for pulling the crap that I did tonight. Red over there is probably in trouble too for playing vigilante." With a flick of the wrist the handcuffs I'd been spinning twirled in the air before snapping back in place on my outspread wrists. "I for one am going to miss that free room you gave me, Ozpin."

I couldn't help the sadistic smile that made its way on my face as I saw the headmaster avert the witch's piercing glare. To his credit, Ozpin only took a moment to clear his throat before addressing me.

"You've already had your decision made for you, or have you forgotten our previous agreement?"

"Tch!"

"I thought so. As for Ms. Rose...how would you like to become a student at my school?"

Everyone was startled as my head made contact with the metal table between us.

I sighed deeply as I tried to imprint my face into the cold steel. "I swear, someone really has it out for me."

"Yuuuu!"

"Oh, you shut your mouth."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes<strong>

**Gray: Yay, another chapte-**

**Omega: Where the hell have you been!**

**Gray: I jus-**

**Omega: Screw it! I'm still gonna kick your ass! (Sounds of senseless violence can be heard in the background)**

**45: ...huh. Well, for people who don't know us, we're Omega and 45, just some buddies that help out with Gray from time to time and vice versa.**

**Gray: Get outta my head!**

**Omega: Never!**

**45: Don't mind them, they do this from time to time. Actually we came to tell you why Gray hasn't been updating lately. He's got school coming, so he's had to prepare for that. Also, LOL decided to control his mind for a bit. The clincher? Holiday seasons people. Don't tell me you haven't seen those statistics?...he may have also been sick. Guy gets really bad when he's mourning.**

**Gray: And all the bull that everyone's been giving me has really demotivated! Seriously, why do I have to do the bitch work when there are five capable people that are responsible for the crap I clean up?!**

**45: Hopefully this upload will kick start the need to write again. Anyways, apologies to all, and thank you for being so sympathetic. Then again I haven't checked messages and reviews, so I could be wrong. **

**Omega: You're always wrong!**

**45: Screw you to, buddy! Welp! As always-**

**All: Enjoy the day!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY. Or anything that I reference. Just the stupid OC.**

* * *

><p><em>Every conflict and misfortune that has ever befallen me was of my own doing. Looking back at it, there were always some choice actions and words that I wished that I could take back. The three words I regretted most were spoken so softly and tenderly, that I sometimes wonder what possessed me to say them.<em>

"...damn, you're tiny."

_'I love you' would have at least given me a chance to run away._

Chapter 3

'I hate everything so much right now,' I thought to myself with eyes clenched in frustration.

I was currently on the airship that I knew was heading to Beacon. Leave it to Ozpin to force me to make a temporary stay in town, while he and Goodwitch got to relax in a nice, snazzy school until the new term. I had to be resourceful and find shelter and money on such a short notice too.

I violently shuddered at recent events best left forgotten. A repeat of that short period of time will never happen again, if I have anything to say about it.

_"My god, you're going to get into so much trouble if anyone finds out the crap that you pulled. Well, unless it's that one blond, or the orange haired chick. They'd probably grin or burst out in laughter if they heard about what you did," _The Voice said. As much as a help he most likely was, his current attitude was irritating my already strained nerves.

'Don't you effing jinx my luck right now!' I mentally jabbed a finger at him before directing my focus to the problem. 'One of them is standing right over there, and I have no intention of finding out if you can send telepathic messages or not,' I mentally stated, my intent that said that 'there was no room for arguments' clearly showing.

I heard a snort. "_Yeah? Well, good luck with that. They're still heading in your direction at any rate, so sucks to be you."_

Oh...damn.

I turned around and was met with the sight of a very enticing pair of...well, breasts. I'm a guy, sue me. I snapped my eyes upward, survival instincts kicking in to ensure that today was not the day that I got my ass kicked by a literal buxom blond bombshell.

"Hello, what can I do for you?" I asked with, what I hope sounded like, genuine curiosity, and not sensuality. Ruby turned away with a huff, probably because I didn't acknowledge her, while her sister made a grin that potentially promised bodily harm. My somewhat allies shivered in anticipation for the upcoming conflict, my insanity in glee and my shadow in defense.

"Soooo, I heard that you and my sister got into some trouble last night?" she started. "Before I forget, what's your name, anyway?"

I smiled a little, hiding away the mischief and mirth as I decided to do a very tiny prank.

"Oh, right, I'm sorry. My name is Yang. Pleased to make your acquaintance," I said as I held out my hand for her to shake. I mentally smirked when I saw the look of confusion on Yang's face. Damn, I should have brought a camera.

"That's a weird coincidence; my name's Yang too." She took my hand and squeezed hard. I was left nonplussed when the pain started to build until I realized something.

'It's...a test?'

I experimentally returned the pressure and was greeted with a challenging smirk. 'Okay then. How about...this?'

My hands let go for an instant before clamping back down. Hard.

I saw Yang wince, and thought I had it the bag. "What's wrong, Yang? You don't look so hot." Swiftly afterward she gave me a strained smile and pain erupted in what I can only assume equal force.

"Hssssssss!" went the sound of my concealed gasp of agony, and my hand went dead, fully submitting to the girl's tortuous grip. It took all my willpower not to sigh in relief when she immediately relinquished her grip. That didn't stop me from looking down in worry and irritation at the now reddened and almost-limp appearance that my hand now sported.

"Hmmm...I give you a seven out of ten, but you probably could have taken me if you've done this before...hand?" Oh god, she chooses now of all times to start her punning!?

I glared at her as I mumbled. "You must be a freakin' eleven then. And what do you mean if I've done this before?"

I froze when she took my hand again and gave it a light squeeze. "See? The position of your grip is all wrong, and you're constricting the wrong muscles; your mostly tightening your hand, not crushing outright."

"Oh, I'm sorry," I began sarcastically, "I actually thought that I was being pretty discreet about my crushing. How could I have possibly been _sooo_ mistaken?" Of course, I shut up when I felt her beginning to destroy my hand again.

"Yang you can use a big word like 'constrict?'" Ruby asked in a teasing tone.

""And what's that supposed to mean?"" I answered with Yang, remembering to keep up my facade. Until Ruby killed my fun.

"Your name is NOT Yang! You're a mean person named Gray that got arrested with me, you tried to convince me to become evil, you shot a_t _me with a real gun, you-"

"HE WHAT!?"

Before I knew it, Yang grabbed me by the scruff of my shirt and suspended me off the ground. Quite impressive since I was taller and no doubt heavier than her. Also gave me a better view of her rack. Luckily for me, she was too preoccupied with killing me to notice. The readers on the other hand snickered in understanding, sighed in dissapointment/embarrassment, snorted in disgust, and any other myriad of reactions one expected when they heard about this perverseness. I plead the fifth, at any rate.

_"And it was at that moment that Gray realized: He...was fucked."_

I kicked my feet uselessly in the air that I was hanging in, courtesy of a seriously pissed off older sister. "N-no, wait! It's...just a little misunderstanding, I swe-AUGK!" I was cut off as Yang slammed me into an interior wall, still suspending me by my collar.

"And what exactly am I misunderstanding?" she snarled with a dangerous red gleam in her eye.

"Urk. I w-was purposely missing! I wouldn't have really, um, aimed a gun at her! Honest!" I futilely pleaded.

_"Abort! Abort mission! Shit has hit the fan! Abandon ship!"_

'Traitor!'

"Eep!"

I unceremoniously crumpled to the ground when Yang finally let go of my shirt, coincidentally the suit that I had purchased on the of the robbery (cheapskates at the cosplay store insisted that I couldn't rent it!). "Glad to see that you're Miss Understanding." I scrambled back up to my feet and cowered before the twin glares that were being sent my way.

"Er, uh, does this mean I get to live another day?"

I smushed myself even further into the wall as the brawler's face closed in on my own. "I could let you off easy, but that just wouldn't do now, would it?" She maliciously grinned as I furiously nodded at this.

"So what exactly are you gonna-ah, ahh!" I stilled all bodily movement as Yang suddenly gripped the area around my crotch.

Yang became confused but continued to hold a tight grip. Then slid her hand lower. And lower. And lower still.

"Oh..."

She looked back up to my face that was twitching in a somewhat erratic manner. "So yeah, you just grabbed my _**big**_ gun. I usually have to approve of you before you hold it, but I think you're cool enough. I mean, you _could_ have taken me out for dinner first or something..." I nervously trailed off, loving every moment of what was happening.

"I, ah, um, er...sorry..." Yang let go of me and backed off very slowly.

"No way..." My ears then focused on the younger girl. "He beat Yang..."

I really should invest in buying a camera with loads of memory. "Yeah, so I think we just landed. Anyway, it was nice meeting you two...I think. But I'll see you two later at school, maybe."

The sisters both nodded and slowly made their way away from me, dazed looks still on their faces. I waited until they were out of line of sight before releasing a relieved sigh, then began snickering.

_"So that's why you wrapped that gun in ballistics gel,"_ The Voice stated.

'You don't know how lucky I got from being prepared for this; well, you do, but that's beside the point,' I thought back as I pulled out the gun that I had 'appropriated' at the robbery. After some heavy modification, I was pleased to say that this was now my weapon.

True to The Voice's accusation, I was holding up a long, rectangular bar of metal, not unlike the case of a flute, entirely encased in a cylindrical mass of gel. 'I swear, it's amazing the things that people so casually sell to the local pawn shop. Then again, those people were most likely pretty strapped for cash.'

_"Oh, and we weren't?"_ The Voice asked smugly. _"As I recall, we didn't have any money at all until-"_

'No!' I cried mentally as I finally made my way off the airship. 'I will say it again, we will NOT bring that story up. Besides, they owe us big time for the crap that happened.'

As I headed down the ramp, I suddenly remembered something that struck me as quite odd: I saw no sign of Juane anywhere.

_"Oh shit, we screwed up continuity already! What are we gonna-"_

"BLAURGH! Hurhk-ugghhhh..."

"Oh. Well. Never mind then."

I went up beside the blonde male and began rubbing his back. "Oh geez, man, are you alright. Err, sorry, standard question," I said as he gave me a withering glare, the effect ruined by the greenish hue on his face. "That's not gonna work," I responded in a deadpan.

I stepped back from the slightly armored teen and took in his features.

Blonde hair? Check.

Blue eyes? Check.

Sword with collapsible shield? Check.

"So, I'm guessing you got a little motion sickness?" I asked, trying to make idle conversation with the sick swordsman. "It's understandable. I mean, I for one can't really stand taking prolonged trips by car, but you'd think that more people would be more acclimated with it. You seem to be a rare case..."

"It's not as uncommon as you think," he replied, taking in deep breaths. "However, people have different ways of coping with the nausea and dizziness. I for one prefer minute doses of tranquilizer."

I nodded and smirked as I heard that last bit. "That's cool, I guess. Name's Gray, by the way." Damn, I rhymed.

"Juane Arc," he replied.

"That name reminds me of a girl I've heard about," I said mostly to myself, thinking about the Maid of Orleans (And a certain Servant who was mistaken as her), "...oh well, probably just my imagination. Anyway, wanna hang out after the opening ceremony? You seem like a nice guy, and I'm kinda lacking in the friends/acquaintances department at the moment."

"Oh, you're a new student too?" He beamed at me when I nodded. "Me too! Actually, I-

BOOM!

...

...

Juane and I both stared toward the source of the explosion, until I placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeahhh...I'm gonna let you handle this, good luck, see ya later, bye!" And with that, I seemingly bolted out of Juane's sight, only to skillfully mount a tree, unseen by the masses. Hopefully.

"Huh? What? Gray!" Aw, how cute, he's trying to find me. Yeah, that's right, wander to the mean girls over yonder and meet your next friend.

Speaking of which, I had kept my eye on the group of three girls, particularly Blake. As much as I _love_ teenage girl drama, I was much more interested in the secretive Faunus and the things that she got to when she was alone. I snickered to myself when I realized how that could have been taken a different way.

* * *

><p>"Hm?"<p>

* * *

><p>...shit. I think she caught me spying on them.<p>

I shot from the tree and proceeded to run like a maniacal and panicking criminal, not wanting to attract the black-themed Faunus' attention any further. Of course, due to my incredibly stupid luck, I manger to pass by a lot of familiar faces, and proceeded to do what I do best.

"Hi, hi, hi, screw you, hi, hi, bye!"

Many heads turned, only to sweat drop at the strange sight of me running like the devil was after me.

_"'Dont jinx us,' you said. If you keep up these stupid stunts long enough, I bet that psychopath will be back to-"_

'Shut your trap!' I mentally snapped, as I began taking deep breaths after the short but exhausting sprint. 'I didn't know maniacs like that actually existed in this place! We'll just lay low and hope that person never ever, in a million years, ever find us.' My body twitched unconsciously at the phantom sensations that ran along my skin.

_"Yeah, we almost died again and not even a week after falling a without a parachute..."_ The Voice whispered as he tried to bring up the events of that day.

[Flashback]

"I wonder where that i-"

"NO!"

I swiped my hands in front of me, imagining that I was physically tearing apart the images if that event in my mind, effectively ending and killing all trips down memory lane.

[...Flashback...Destruction?]

'Screw Oz, and screw the situation he left us in! First we went to jail, then we can't go back to the lair, then I had to run around and find work, and, if that wasn't hard enough, now I got a bunch of psychopaths trying to kill me!' I screamed in mental anguish.

_"...whoa. Chill out, man. You got us still, and there's also the fact that you're ALIVE. So I think we can count that as a success in my book."_

I stopped walking and sighed.

"I hate my lifeeeeee," I moaned out in defeat. I then quickly turned my head in several directions before facing ahead once more. "I'm in despair! This beautiful yet cruel world has left me in despair!"

My mood only brightened a smidge when I heard a mental facepalm and it's resounding smack echo in my mind.

"Y'know, when I think about it, I made some good puns back on the ship."

_"Oh, dear God, no."_

"Too bad Yang didn't pay too much attention to them. You could say that her head was...up in the clouds? Eh? Eh?"

_"...boooo. You're better off sticking with double entendres...that's still a pun, isn't it? Damn."_

* * *

><p>"How come I've never never seen any of these people here in episode 3?" I asked myself out loud.<p>

Looking around, I was surrounded in a sea of unfamiliar faces, a big contrast to the dark silhouettes that I was used to associating with minor/unimportant characters. "I mean, not even half of the number I'm seeing here were present during the initiation, right?"

_"They're probably friends, family, and older students, here to wish us good luck or scout the up-and-coming prodigies. Oh, and try to keep this conversation in your head. People are giving us funny looks."_

Sure enough, the surrounding crowd was trying to cast subtle unsure glances in my direction. My response was to casually employ the two-finger defense and rotate a full circle to ensure that everyone got the message. A most therapeutic exercise, as my brother would have put it.

I rose a brow as the shadows attached to me seem to elongate and bristle. This caused me to pet the silky black fabric on my right hand, eliciting more stares that I ignored.

"It's alright GG, we'll show them up in the forest. No need to be hasty and immature," I lovingly whispered to the shadow in my hand. "If it makes you feel better, I consider you my partner first and foremost, before anyone else."

I smiled at the pleased warble that only I seemed to hear, and let my gaze wander around the room. I could see most of the members of teams JNPR and RWBY, but there was one individual that caught my attention. To be more specific, her head had caught my attention.

Blake Belladona. Cat Faunus and ex-agent of the White Fang. For whatever imbecilic impulse that possessed me, I decided to fiercely stare at the bow on her head, trying to discern the telltale signs of her twitching cat ears.

"Jiiiiiiiiiii..." And more weird actions for the rest of the students to gossip about. Not like I cared.

This continue on for a few minutes (In which I had had to turn my head on multiple occasions in order to not get caught staring), until the voice of Oz silenced the chatter.

"I'll...keep this brief."

"Oh, thank God!"

I conspicuously turned my head as I felt Ozpin look at me in irritation, my devious smirk easily giving me away as the guilty party.

As he continued with his opening speech, my attention was focused back on Blake, who was positioned further ahead of me yet a little ways from the crowd. To the untrained eye it may have seemed as she was not listening, but her face was too focused for her not to be.

Stupidly, I decided to just stare at her bow, daring (hoping for) it to twitch or show any other obvious sign of motion. Even as Ozpin finished his speech and Goodwitch began to direct us toward the ballroom, I continued to stare at the girl who wasn't even ten feet away from me.

"What are you doing?" a voice asked from behind me.

"Oh, just spying on that girl over there on behalf of my world changing organizatio-what do you think I'm doing?! I'm checking her out, obviously," I replied, my sarcastic emphasis in the latter half of my words.

"Oh really..."

...wait. I know that voice. Then Blake disappeared in front of me.

_"You think we should run?"_

'Yup. On three. One...Two...'

"THRE-HURK!"

I dropped to my knees and started choking as a ribbon-like cloth tightened around my throat. Dark spots began to swim around in my vision until the stranglehold on my neck slackened slightly. I immediately started sputtering as I tried to reclaim the air that I had stopped breathing.

"I'm going to make you put on this blindfold now. If you don't make any more sudden moves, I'll let you breathe while I take us somewhere to talk. Got it?"

I vigorously nodded my head, not trusting my voice at the moment.

_"Screwed?"_

'Screwed.'

* * *

><p>We ended up facing each other in an empty hallway not too far away from the designated sleeping area. Blake was glaring at me, simultaneously absorbing every little detail about myself. If I had just a little bit less of self-preservation in my body, I would have risked accusing her of 'checking me out', or some other nonsense. As it stands, I've have too many near death experiences in the last couple of weeks.<p>

"So are you just gonna keep glaring at me, or...?" I began.

"Who are you?" she asked, with no small amount of venom.

I tapped my chin in false contemplation. "Ooh, that's a tough one. How about I...yeah! That could work!"

Blake took a step back in caution when I swiped my hand in front of me and held my fist in front if my face. "Listen close, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once!" Of course, I never expected to be violently kicked in the chest.

"No, you listen here!" Blake growled out through gritted teeth, "I don't have time for any stupid nonsense you want to pull. So we can either do this the easy way, or...I start getting creative."

Try as I might, I couldn't pick myself from off the ground. Damn, she could kick! I wiped my hand across my mouth and-wait, was that blood? I wiped it off, trying to figure out what to do when a cruel bought passed through my mind.

"Hehehe...alright. I'll do it your way. Of course, what was I supposed to expect from the organization your from? I'm sorry, I meant the one that you left." A bitter grin was almost slapped off my face before I was held by my throat.

"What. Do. You. Know?"

I looked through her eyes, so filled with emotion. Sadness. Anger. Desperation. Fear.

I chuckled. "All that I need, more than I want, and more than I should. But," and here I directed all my attention on her, "what's to stop me from sharing what I know about you?"

She released me as she gasped and took a step back in revulsion. "You wouldn't."

"Try me."

Blake continued to stare at me before she made to walk away. She stopped as her back faced toward and gave me her parting words.

"This never happened. And you ran into a wall."

I let out a small pained giggle as I watched her figure slowly drift farther away. An unbidden sob made its way to my throat. Tears began to stream down my eyes as another part of me revealed itself.

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..."

* * *

><p>"You really messed up, huh?"<p>

I stayed quiet as I contemplated my actions again. Why did I have to be so stupid? I had just made an enemy out of one of this world's heroes. And I was going to pay for it in the future.

"You ran in headfirst into a minefield and did as was expected of that. You just have to deal with the consequences."

'...I want an ice cream.' If there was one thing that I was grateful for, it was the ability to shut down and facilitate my emotions. I don't remember the exact date I discovered my strange ability, nor the reasons it manifested itself in me, but it was always useful for me, a man that prepared for the worst before hoping beyond hope.

My lips twitched as my tenant laughed his heart out. I also noticed a not-so-subtle warmth spread throughout my body, the only-for-me warbling serving to lift my mood further.

"Hey!"

I looked up, but the sight that I was met with was the clincher to my rising good mood. I rolled onto my back, laughing and pointing at the blond knight in footed pajamas.

"Oh god! I, pfft, Ahahahaahhaha!"

Juane gave me a blank stare, making me laugh harder, and he sighed. "Really Gray? No one else is laughing."

"No one worth mentioning," I amended. "They don't want there not-yet-established reputations to take a dive just because he or she wanted to bully someone who was, *snort*, wearing footie pajamas." Even as I felt the slight twinge in my heart that came from my talk with Blake, it was quickly consumed by the giddiness and joy I felt from seeing Juane in his choice of sleep attire.

Juane continued his attempts to shut me up with a glance but soon gave up and settled beside me.

"So how was you first day at school?" he asked.

My laughter was immediately cut off, my hand hovering over my throat.

"It was...eventful. I did a lot of stupid things, and I don't know if I can fix it. I royally screwed up." My eyes closed in contemplation again.

"...Girl troubles?"

And snapped back open. "Okay, how did you know that? Do you have psychic/telepath semblance or something?"

Juane shrugged. "Dunno. But I think that if I messed things up with a girl, that would be the exact phrase I would use to describe it."

"Huh..."

...

...

...

...

Juane was the one to break the silence.

"Would you like to talk about it?"

I tensed with nervousness as I tried to decide what to do. Do I tell him? Should I tell him? Guys?

...

...

Traitors.

My gaze remained on the ceiling above as I tried to figure out what to say.

"I don't know man. I mean, it's not like I love her, we just met and all. But...it's hard to take back the hurtful things that you say."

"Have you tried apologizing?" Bless your soul, Mr. Arc.

"It's not that simple, Juane. We're all here at Beacon to make new beginnings, but what's the point if an asshole like me keeps bringing up the past like a threat. Or worse: a collar?"

Juane took a moment to respond. "...I can't take care of your problems, Gray. And as much as I want to help, I don't have all the answers. All I can say is to do your best with what you got and hope for the best." Best advice I've heard all day. Well, only advice I've heard all day.

"Is that how you ended up in Beacon?" I asked with a smirk, receiving one in turn.

"Exactly. Now shut up. We got a big day ahead of us tomorrow, and we need all the energy we can get."

"...good night, Juane. Thanks...for being my friend."

"No problem!"

Shutting my eyes once more, I ignored everything around me in a zen-like state, something I could only achieve through deep concentration or reading. But, like all good things in my life, it was pretty short-lived.

_"We need to talk."_

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes<strong>

**Gray: I hated this chapter. So much. I don't even want to touch it anymore. Too little happened too fast in my opinion. Now I'm off to write some more. So tired. Sigh...**

**Enjoy the Day!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: RWBY is not mine. Note the website that you are currently on. Yes, I like to point out the obvious. Also, screw typos and other nonsense that doesn't show when you work on these stories on a cell phone.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 4<p>

"Hey, Gray?"

What the? Whose voice is that? ...please don't tell me it's another idiot again. It's dark again, and the one time it was dark, and there was a voice, I had to kill something not a few minutes after. Of course, there was the time it was dark and there wasn't a voice, but I still ended up running for my life shortly after.

"We gotta get up for the initiation, remember? Please don't tell me you're one of those guys that sleeps in all day," Juane pleaded worriedly. Not that I could really blame him. Well at least this guys not an idiot. Not in my opinion at least.

With a sigh I rose up to get ready for the day. I stumbled over myself twice before I was able to fully stand on my own, head still weary from the events of yesterday. Let's see, almost lost my manhood, almost died, and I was sucked into my head. Yup, pretty eventful.

"Alright, good, now let's..." Juane's words died in his throat now that he had the chance to really see my face. "Holy- Gray! Are you all right? You look like you stayed up all night running around Beacon."

I turned to him and replied the only way that I knew how in this situation.

"Meh."

His statement didn't seem to be too far off the mark though. As I grabbed my stuff and made my way toward the bathrooms, I couldn't help but notice the slow zombielike way in which I ambled down the hallways. My shoulders felt as if they were covered in tar, causing me to slump forward as I made my way along. If I paid any attentions to my surroundings, I would have noticed a few concerned glances that were sent my way.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," I said to myself when I arrived at the locker room. Or the washroom facility, to be more precise. I could feel the tick mark that was no doubt present on my head as I observed the guys and girls all entering the same shower room. My eyes furrowed as they closed and I pinched the bridge of my nose to complete the effect. The only saving grace was that there were an abundance of stalls for showers, toilets, changing, etc.

"Is this sort of thing normal?" I asked no one in particular. Not receiving an answer, I sighed before heading in with my head kept down. I made my way to one of the sinks to wash my face and happened to catch myself in the mirror.

"CHRIST ALIVE!"

I backpedaled away from the reflection of the deadman in the mirror. "Is that really me!? I look like I've been stuck in a prison where I had my soul tormented for thirteen years!" Hand on my chest as I tried to regain my breath, I studied my reflection and trembled. What the hell happened to me?

"I told you that you looked awful," Juane stated as he walked past me, eyes half-lidded in drowsiness.

"I'm sorry, I also think you failed to mention that I looked like a FUCKING CORPSE!" I all but yelled at Juane's back. I almost lost it when he made a shooing motion at me in his tiredness. I was too tired, and it was too early for this crap to go down. This was made evident by the many glares that I wasn't registering from the once drowsy occupants of the room, now thoroughly pissed (yet totally creeped out) by the new zombie kid.

I sighed once again before finally entering a shower stall, the thought of hot water running down my body warming me up. It also reminded me of every time I've ever received an epiphany, revelations I had of the world around me and of myself. I was not ashamed to admit that I always had my greatest ideas when I was wet. My God, this feels so gooood.

'Hey, man, mind explaining why I look like I was dragged through hell and back?' I tentatively asked in my head. If anything could help me out here, it would be The Voice.

_"You do remember what went on in your head last night, right?"_ The Voice asked back. _"Jeez, all that moping, crying, and other stuff of yours really took a toll on your mind and body. Not that you had much of a mind to begin with...wait a sec, I'm a part of your mind. Damn."_

'It seems so long ago...' I thought as brief images of what had happened the day and night before flashed through my mind, the latter much more than the former.

_"So you finally get through all your crap?"_ I mentally nodded. _"So you know what you have to do, right?"_

I nodded again, now in real time. I inhaled deeply for an extended period of time, unknowingly catching the attention of those around me. They watched intently as I slowly exhaled all the air that I had managed to hold in.

KRSH!

What they weren't expecting was for me to suddenly smash my head in the tiled walls in front of me and for me to yell out.

"ALRIGHT! NO MORE SAD REFLECTIONS!"

...

I twisted my head from side to side, a wide, open-mouthed smile gracing my face, and gauged the reaction of my fellow huntsman. Needless to say, I was immensely pleased with the shocked and slightly disturbed faces that were currently with me in the bath room. At least, that's what I could gather from my blood covered eyeballs. I could guess the expression, just not who it belonged to.

_"What the hell are you looking at?!"_

'They can't hear you, y'know?'

_"And what, that's supposed to stop me?"_

I snickered at this and began the process of washing the blood off my face. I was pleased to feel the now nonexistent wound on my face. The ceramic shard sticking out of it seemed pretty iffy though, so I plucked it and tossed it down the drain, where it would rest till the end of days. In no way would it ever become relevant. Ever...poor thing.

Satisfied of my dirt free body, I began the process of drying and cleaning myself, opting to finish by wrapping my towel around my head in a turbanlike fashion. I kicked open my stall and brazenly walked out to find my clothes.

"EEP!"

"Huh? What's wro- oh my."

_"Sigh, really Gray? Really"_

I tilted my head in confusion. "Hm? What's up?" For some reason everyone was staring at me, mostly with blushes mixed with irritation, embarrassment, and envy. Then I noticed a key detail: they were all looking down.

I followed their gazes and couldn't hold back my hand when it smashed into my forehead. Right there dangling between my legs was what appeared to be a pitch black censor bar. I would have been fine if it was just that, honest. The reason I slapped my head was because it reached all the way down onto the tiled floor. Before I could attribute this to anime rules or rating devices, I decided to say one phrase.

"GG."

People gasped and screamed as the black bar seemed to shiver at my word. All I did was screw up my own face in mortification as I realized exactly what was between my legs. And also what was between there for quite some time.

"GG. Shift to waist width, knee length."

We all watched in horrified fascination as the inky black rectangle became more square in shape, covering the dimensions that I had just specified. I nodded at this, now content that I did not look so awkward, and attempted to leave before I could cause another seen. Unfortunately, some random guy thought contrary to this and deemed it fit to interrogate me.

"Alright, what is THAT thing?" He growled out while pointing at GG.

I sighed, feeling that this was gonna be a thing, both me sighing and being questioned. "Do I really have to answer that?" I sighed again as everyone in the room nodded in affirmation. "Fine. This might come as a foreign concept to you, but this is what we call a penis. If you had to ask, I have to assume you don't have one as well."

"Daaamn, son got told!" Juane yelled tiredly from somewhere in the bathroom. I looked at his direction in confusion, not quite sure what to make of his statement.

_"He's exhausted as hell because of his nerves that he's been covering up, and now it's given him this pseudo-drunk backlash. Just wait till we get to the cliffs, he'll be good then."_

I mentally nodded at this. It seemed reasonable, and insanity always sounded logical to me. However, someone took exception to Juane's words.

Random guy, now identified as Cardin Winchester (How did I miss that? "Tired." Oh yeah.), couldn't take the idiocy that was me and decided to rush me. In a bath room. With slippery floors.

I executed a slide-pivot, the reflexes honed by tennis shoes combined with oily restaurant floors speeding up my actions, and deftly dodged a missed right hook by the enraged youth. The room was filled with laughter when Cardin then slid and crashed into a wall.

"Oh no!"

My body reacted to the words and I made another pivot, expecting one of Cardin's future teammates, only for one of my feet to catch on a bar of soap. That foot kicked backward and, by force of gravity, I fell forward and my knees slammed into the ground, my arms being the only things to save the rest of my body from the fall.

"Ahh, my knees!"

I then burst out in laughter as I allowed my body to lay on the tiled floor, the memory of those words evoking a deep joy that I was unaware of possessing.

_"And he calls me the insane one."_

* * *

><p>The rest of the morning was surprisingly more mundane than what I had come to expect. My inner voice had decided to stay quiet, weeping about being more sane than I was. I had no idea what he was talking about. GG on the other hand had decided that he quite like his old place near my face, and had resumed the form of a twisted nightmare scarf. I convinced myself that it complemented my henchman attire, especially after I ditched the hat, replaced the eyewear for a normal pair of shades, and switched the red tie out for a white one. Yup, wearing a suit made me feel like a total badass.<p>

Satisfied with my attire, I closed the locker that I had been assigned, hiding away the posters typically owned by the hormonal otaku teenager, emphasis on hormonal. Don't judge me.

"Where's your weapon?" Oh?

It seemed that it was finally time for me to meet the final member of team RWBY, as I turned to find Weiss' scrutinizing gaze on me. I glanced at the scar that ran down her left eye and had to stop myself from reaching for my own that was slightly above my brow. Damn that dining table for being at the exact height for me to run into it like that, a running problem in my family.

I decided that another prank was in order and did what I do best.

"..."

"...why are you staring at me like that?" Weiss asked in a guarded tone.

My face had taken on an apathetic look as I focused on Weiss. I slowly pointed to my throat and shook my head. The snow-themed girl at least had the decency to look slightly ashamed and proceeded to apologize.

"I'm sorry, it's just that you don't see that many mute huntsman." I rose a brow at this and she continued on. "I mean, wouldn't it make it difficult to communicate with a team?"

I donned my thinking pose before gesturing out pointing followed up by slashing. The Schnee Heiresss was confused, but was helped out by a newcomer.

"I believe what he is trying to convey is that all that is needed is to be given a target and he will take it down. Is that right?"

And in came in Pyrrha Nikos, the face of Pumpkin Pete's Cereal. I could feel the cavities coming on even as she continued to speak. "I think it's quite the inspiring aspiration for one to become a huntsman despite one's own disabilities. Though I am a little concerned about how you worded your usefulness." Your words, not mine.

I offered her a small smile, and smiled wider when she grinned back. Weiss on the other hand looked more thoughtful (read conniving) as she thought about the advantages of being paired with the two of us. I took a step back when she started to chuckle darkly, not really being subtle, but not being noticed by the redhead either.

_"Hold on, where's-"_

"Hey Gray."

Speak of the devil...

"Wait, you two know each other?" Weiss asked Juane. The blonde seemed to slump depressedly, probably a result of Weiss' attitude toward him.

"Hello again!" Pyrrha said excitedly.

Juane looked into my eyes and sudden realization passed through us. I teared up as he sobbed, and I couldn't resist pulling him into a comforting hug.

"Finally, someone who understands!" Juane cried.

We stood there for some time, both girls trying to figure out how to diffuse the now awkward situation. When I noticed this I shot a stern glare at them which had little effect, due to two hugging guys.

"How could you ever hope to understand our pain? The struggles we've had to overcome? The everyday near-emasculation that threatened to deprive us what made us men?" I angrily said in a low voice. "The...dresses?"

At this Juane almost became near-catatonic, and I was forced to support his full weight as he became bogged down in bitter memories.

"Easy, buddy. C'mon, let's get you fixed up before we take part in the school's twisted idea of playing Cupid."I left the girls with one last parting glare as I was now forced to drag Juane to the Initiation's start at the cliffs above the Emerald Forest.

"Not a word to anyone," I ordered as I happened to pass by R and Y. Had I chanced a glance or even a halfhearted look backward, I would have been graced with the image of all the girls looking on incredulous before Yang would speak up.

"Okaaaay...so, that was a thing."

[With me]

'Err, so how exactly am I gonna get to the cliffs?'

_"Wellll...kind of like-"_

* * *

><p><em>"-this. You're welcome."<em>

'What the hell are you going on about? I had to walk while dragging nearly dead weight for half an hour! Now if you don't mind, I've got more important things to do.'

_"What things?"_ The Voice asked incredulously.

"Psst. Hey! Psst! Oi, Ruby! Are you listening to me?" I whispered as loudly as I dared in front of Ozpin and Goodwitch. Yeah, this was my idea of more important things.

It should come to no surprise that the students taking the initiation, including the awesomeness that is myself, were now lined up along the cliffs overlooking the forests that were no doubt filled with Grimm. Heh, Grimm to the brim.

_"Yes, yes, moo, and all that other nonsense. I swear, you have to have ADHD, or at least ADD. So. Got any bright ideas on how to make it down alive and, hopefully, in one piece?"_

I smirked, unconsciously catching the eyes of several others near me, as I thought back to my brilliant idiocy of a plan that I had devised on the fly. 'Oh...I have a plan.'

...

_"...well? What is it?"_

"I have a plan..." I trailed off once more, inciting the ire of my insanity. It reminds me of the times that I would talk to myself. Actually having someone talk back from my own mind instead of supplying myself with appropriate dialogue was fun. And a little disconcerting. But mostly fun.

I focused on my surroundings again, a bit bummed that Ozpin had already gone through his speech. I was in time, however, to catch Juane as he was launched unceremoniously into the air and down into the forest.

'Note to self: Reproduce the throwing thing. Sans beta testing,' I thought to myself as I eyed the launchpad.

_"Noted!"_

I paused when I finally noticed that I was alone on the cliffs with Ozpin and Goodwitch. "Umm, hello? I kinda need to get down there so that I can kinda get a teammate. I mean, you know. No hurry," I said as I hopped side to side in anticipation.

"Now, now, there's plenty of time for that; I made sure to keep the relics in a place so obvious, no one would ever suspect."

* * *

><p>"Are those the relics right there? "<p>

"Temple, huh? Neat."

* * *

><p>"No one at all," Ozpin finished proudly. His face then grew serious. "You won't have any more qualms about putting down a mindless beast now, would you?"<p>

I glanced at my hands, as images of all the events since my arrival passed through my mind, and I balled them into fists. I had my answer.

"I think...I think I'll be okay. It's do or die out here in this world, and I prefer living."

The headmaster visibly relaxed, his relief of me not dying, prematurely at any rate, showing. "That's good. Very good. Inaction has been the cause of death for many a good huntsman, and it would be such a shame to see such a young flame be snuffed out so early. Now that that's settled, would you like to talk a bit more?" Okay, now this was beginning to get a little weird. I was beginning to grow annoyed and confused with the gray haired man in front of me.

On one hand, I was growing incredibly confused to why he was stalling me. On the other hand, I thought it was sorta funny that Goodwitch kept glaring at Ozpin so intensel-

...DING!

That bastard.

"You're delaying me. For what reason, I don't know. But you're sending me off. Now." Down below, everyone was pairing up and, if I didn't hurry, the choices would become very limited. Was someone pre-picked to be my partner? Surveillance perhaps? It's not something that I would put past Ozpin.

The female professor seemed a bit shocked that I was able to figure a bit of their plan out. Her male counterpart on the other hand looked me dead in the eyes. I'll never know if he ever found what he wanted in my soul windows. He turned away with a shrug and pushed a button.

FWOOF!

...

"Yeahhh, no I'm not gonna do that."

Ozpin turned around in surprise, fully expecting me to have sailed through the air and possibly into a tree. What he was not prepared to see was the harness that I now had attached to myself, a pair of wings strapped to my arms. To complement this I was also wearing a winged helmet, a single blue horn protruding front and center. And for those wondering, I sidestepped the launcher.

The professors took a step back in cation, my sudden change in appearance seeming to make them wary of me.

"And where exactly did you get that?" Ozpin asked as he finally broke through the tense atmosphere that I knowingly caused.

"Where indeed..." I answered with a faraway look in my eye, a grin plastered in my face.

The professors glanced at each other and were quick to compose themselves. The headmaster was faster to recover and decided to stall me again.

"I take it that's your landing strategy then?"

Instead of answering I stepped up to the edge of the cliff. I took deep breaths as I tried to push all the common sense to the back of my mind. It's not so easy to accomplish when your mind is built upon logic and reasoning, but I managed somehow. I then had to stamp out my fear of heights as I glanced down at the steep drop. I took in one more deep breath and let it all out. I was finally ready.

Precariously balanced, I pushed off the ledge with all my might, arms outstretched to catch the wind beneath my wings. I had used a bit of aura as I had taken off, the extra boost furthering my progress over the forest. I had reached the peak of my flight. Mathematically speaking, I was now following the trajectory of a parabolic arc. About negative X squaredish. And if you know math, then what happens next shouldn't come as a surprise.

I fell straight down. Well almost. But the near exponential negative incline made it close enough so that it seemed that way. Not that any of that came to mind. Only one thing passed through when I saw the ground and trees coming to meet me.

'Totally worth it.'

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

**Gray: Alright, and that's a wrap everyone. A little shorter all around, but good job!**

**45: We're straying dangerously close to crack fiction status...**

**Omega: Yup! Kinda sad that the bath scene didn't include Nora, but oh well.**

**Gray: ...it was going to, but it was cut out due to difficulty in transmission.**

**Omega: Seriously?! Damn it!**

**45: At any rate, we're going to have someone join the crew next chapter! And with that said...**

**All: Enjoy the Day!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or any other references that will appear throughout this work of fiction. Thank you for not suing me, other guys...yet.**

Chapter 5

"That could have gone better," I said to myself. Brushing the dust off my legs, I began to make my way out of the crater that I had made, an impressive half-dome that cut into the ground six feet deep with a fifteen foot radius. I got a good look at my surroundings, in case I ever had to come back here to bury a body. Hey, you never know when you're going to know these sort of things, so don't judge me.

_"Ah yes, plan for the worst before something, something the best, right?" _my second mind said to me.

'Wow, way to butcher that saying, idiot.'

_"Your mind, not mine. I think. I guess? Wait a second, what exactly am I to you? Was that ever explained properly?"_

'I was told that I would be more eccentric. Ergo, you are a part of my mind, so anything you say about it applies to you as well. So suck it!'

I took one last look at the hole before making my way to the temple, wherever that may be. Just kidding, I knew exactly where it would be. I really hoped that Ozpin wouldn't fill that hole any time soon. Then again, it probably would have been too risky to hide a body so close to the school grounds.

_"Ah, actually using your brain for once? Don't hurt yourself."_

'Yeah, and your voice is already working my brain way more than it should, so would you kindly shut up?" I retorted. I heard a disgusted click of the tongue inside my head.

_"Fine. Fine. I see how it is. Just don't come running to me when you're about to get munched on by a pack of Grimm. I'll just screw around in the other parts of your mind."_ I could practically hear him smirking when he said that.

'Wait, don't touch-'

*Click*

'...anything.' I sighed. Did I even have a choice in the matter? It's not like there was anything that he hadn't gone through had he?

* * *

><p><em>"...huh. That's new."<em>

* * *

><p>I sighed again, giving up on pursuing the matter any further. Like I have mentioned before, my life has pretty much been shaped so that I developed a very acute defeatist attitude. Being controlled, interrupted, and needed constantly can do that to a person, if that person was me. Sometimes I think that my only reason for existence was to serve others. That's why coming to this world was such a breath of fresh air. I could do as I pleased according to myself and to no one else's standards. Well...I hope I actually get to live long enough to enjoy it fully.<p>

'Now where the hell is that temple?' I asked myself as I made my way through the forest. The situation seemed a little iffy right now. The dense foliage all around me was quiet throughout, and there were no other signs of life to be had. I hadn't even encountered any fellow huntsmen or Grimm, another strange occurrence. For all intents and purposes, I was taking a walk through the park. A monster infested park with trained monster hunters, yes, but the absence of people was beginning to worry me.

'Alright, think this through logically,' I thought to myself in an attempt to calm myself down. 'I was stalled, so of course everyone is going to be further ahead. Add that to the fact that everyone was also launched further than I had jumped and it makes plenty of sense. That still doesn't explain the lack of Grimm though.' That's when a horrible thought slipped into my head.

'Maybe they're already attacking the students?'

I shook my head in denial. No, that wasn't possible. If that were true, there would at least be signs of a struggle. Like metal clashing through bone and flesh, even overexaggerated grunts and groans from the fighting. And I was pretty certain that the students could handle themselves.

BANG!

...damn it, I hate it when this happens.

I adjusted my shades and proceeded to pick up the pace a little as I headed to the temple, deliberately trying to shy away from all the noises of conflict. Those were few and far between, thank God for small mercies, but I co"uldn't help tensing when those noises began to get louder. And closer.

'Alright. Just gotta make it to the temple. If I can just get to the temple I-...aaaaawwwwwwwww, really? Now of all times?'

My luck finally ran out when I spotted a Beowolf stumbling through the bushes. Surprisingly the thing seemed to be a bit disoriented, based on the way that it seemed to move slowly and deliberately along the ground. Of course that all changed when the stupid thing spotted me.

"Uhh...hi?" I said as my feet readjusted to prepare for my fight-or-flight response. I don't know if it had seen this, but the low growl it emitted was all the answer I needed to make up my mind.

'Option one I guess,' I thought to myself as the Grimm tried to rush me. 'Tried' being the key word. It came at me fast, there was no doubt about that. But whatever hit it must have struck pretty hard though, because it missed me by a wide margin, more than a couple of feet.

'Maybe it was in a bush and a tree fell on it?' I'll blame Ruby,' I decided in my head.

[Elsewhere]

"ACHOO!...sniff."

...

[Back with me]

'Let's put this thing out of this misery then.'

I jumped up a tree and kicked off the trunk, grabbing on then perching myself right above the staggering Beowolf, who had somehow lost me when I had ascended to new heights. My hand slowly reached behind my head and just as slowly revealed my new weapon to the world. It literally was my newest weapon, something that I had grabbed shortly after I attempted to emulate the flight of Icarus.

"The huntsman may have their blades, bludgeons, and guns...the Grimm may try to fight me off with tooth, nail, and claw...but from the heavens my wrath shall descend!"

The Beowolf turned its head skyward just in time to watch me descend upon it.

"FALL BEFORE THE MIGHT OF MY GREN!"

And with that shout I swung with all the force my muscles and aura could afford me, and I was not disappointed; I could feel my opponent's skull cave in as my weapon impacted right between its eyes, the sickening crunch reverberating from my weapon to my hands.

I let it go and proceeded to kick the Beowolf in the face, using the improvised foothold to launch myself off the Grimm and sliding a short distance away. My eyes kept on the creature, never letting up their gaze until it was confirmed that the Beowolf was dead. Finally it began to fade away, disintegrating into nothingness like a defeated emissary of the DTE.

"...is that it?" I asked myself in confusion. In all of the ways that it mattered, I had technically one-shotted a Beowolf. Everyone else who can claim likewise has the excuse that they've actually trained for this. Me? I decided to swing a stick and hoped I got lucky. Speaking of which...

I walked up to the still fading Grimm and took in the stick that I had used to kill it. I didn't lie when I said I found it after landing. It happened to be one of the more sturdier sticks that I had smashed into and also the one that managed to fall on my head shortly after making the crater. I then decided to use it as a weapon until it broke as retaliation.

I picked up my wooden bludgeon, shaking the last bits of my kill off of it, and twirled it in victory pose fashion before placing it on a makeshift sheath on my back. I took note of my surroundings again to use it as a landmark if I somehow came upon this area again, and continued my journey toward the temple.

Not even ten minutes into my walk, and I was already facing more problems. I don't know if it was the area I was in or the fight that had just taken place, but the empty forest decided to do a 180 and was suddenly full of Grimm. I had taken the time to climb up one of the trees and proceeded to slowly treehop toward my destination, allowing to test one of my new theories.

One of the uses of aura is to protect yourself, usually in the form of a shield-like barrier, right? My theory was that, instead of being a stationary conceptual shield that would come to mind, the barrier was more the result of a force that you expel from your body via aura. The light show that came with it was probably the aura redirecting itself in order to counteract and neutralize the opposing forces.

_"Like an AT field?"_

'I suppose. Also, welcome back. You missed my kill,' I said back to The Voice.

_"Oh please," _he responded,_ "I'm always watching, just in case I have to save your ass from the fire. Anyways, continue?"_

Right. So with that idea I thought: If aura can be used to push...can it be used for the complete opposite? Thinking back, Juane's use of aura was the source of another breakthrough in theory. If I was correct, his use of healing could actually signal what may be a precursor to a semblance.

Think hard here. How does a humanoid body actually 'heal' external injuries? By the replication of cells, right? So by that logic, Juane either mass replicated his cells, or he hyper-accelerated the replication process. Can you think of two individuals that somewhat display a slight aspect of these descriptions? And it doesn't even end there! If I'm right, Pyrrha's ability may possibly be what I am trying to find out, albeit her ability has range and is only reactive with metal.

And with that reasoning in mind, I began to test out my new idea.

CRACK

...of course. Sigh...

I allowed myself to fall to the ground, my aura cushioning my second fall today. 'Well this blows. There goes my idea. Damn, I really hope that Aura is not really magic, cause that's just gonna open up a whole 'nother can of worms.'

_"Then you're just gonna fiddle around with other magic systems, aren't you? ...hold on, you didn't break that branch."_

'What are talking about?' I began to walk toward the nearest tree when a tiny explosion of dirt erupted near my feet. Instinct kicked in, and I rolled off in the opposite direction, stopping only to take cover behind a tree.

"Are you kidding me?!" I yelled out loud, not caring if my supposed assailant or a wandering pack of Grimm heard me. The answer I received to this was the bark near the side of my head exploding into pieces, splinters and sawdust brushing past along my face. Deciding that enough was enough, I flicked my wrist outward, two pistols now armed and primed in each hand.

I darted out from my cover toward the direction of the temple again, observing how a shadowy figure jumped down from the leafy canopy of the forest and began to give chase.

"Eat shit and die, faggot!" I yelled out as I started taking blind shots behind me. I wouldn't take the chance of looking back to see the progress of my pursuer, the thought of shortening what little distance there was between us convincing my legs to work triple time. Satisfied that he or she had fallen behind, I put away my pistols till I needed them again.

Still trying to get used to my aura tricks, my eyes widened in surprised when I was able to partially stick on a passing tree. 'Chance!' I jumped off the ground and used my limited control over my aura to swim me around the trunk, a move that subconsciously reminded me of a pole dancer (to my embarrassment), the maneuver catching my enemy off long enough for me to plant my feet firmly in his now confirmed male chest. We both tumbled to the ground and I was able to recover to my to my feet faster than he did. I took advantage of this by jumping over to him and aiming a pistol at his head and chest, a knee on his gut to hopefully keep him from moving.

"So, haah, any, haah, reason for, haah, all of this?" I panted out.

All I got for my trouble was a glare; at least that's what I thought it was, considering I couldn't see his eyes or mouth because of his hooded jacket and red scarf. Wait a second...

I glanced at his weapon and froze in realization. I had seen it before!

Feeling me weaken the pressure of my knee and his gut, the downed person gave a quick shove and stood up in all his glory. Green hooded jacket with a single black line running down each arm. A shoulder harness meant to carry his weapon. The oddly shaped crossbow rifle that was actually a three part weapon, subcategories not included. And a pointy looking scarf that mirrored my own in all but color. He took off his hood, revealing, not the beret I expected, but a pair of white cat ears. Oh shit.

"...see?" he asked me with clear irritation lining his usually apathetic tone. I just continued to stare, causing him to snort in irritation. His demeanor changed to a softer one though when he noticed how watery my eyes had become.

'He's here,' I thought to myself. 'He's really, really here.'

People tended to come and go in my life, and that was okay with me. I had come to terms with my mortality much sooner than most people had; not that it made me want to die any faster than anyone else. But what I had come to notice was that I had no one to love. No one to truly call my own. And it was a very trying time in my life. A point I always fail to recall, after all the changes that have happened since then.

But it was during that time that I discovered an aspect of myself: I was a partial narcissist. Like most people, I was heavily dissatisfied with my body and other things that made up the person now known as 'Gray'. But with every other aspect I became unnaturally fascinated, and I didn't hesitate to treasure these qualities if mine. Qualities that I did not want to keep to myself.

And so it came to pass that I would take these traits of myself and give them life. Create a person from my very being who would become the living embodiment of the parts of me that I cared for so intensely. Someone that would grow to become something more than I had first envisioned. And standing in front of me was one such part.

"How...how did this possibly happen?" I wondered out loud as I reached for the animal appendages. He didn't seem to mind, rather, he encouraged it as he pushed his head into the hands that were now caressing the ears in a fond manner. "I'm glad I found you then. I can't imagine what's it like to be here alo-wait, are any of the others here?" I asked in anticipation.

"...no," he replied somewhat sadly. He gazed at me with eyes that I knew too well, eyes that belonged to a person much more older and weary; ones that mirrored my own. I knew that he was as lost as I was when I had first invaded this world.

"Well I'm here for you now. And you know how I am, right? What's the one thing about me that always stands out, out of all the traits I exhibit?"

There was no hesitation in his answer. "Protect."

"That's right," I said as I pulled him into my arms, "Everything I love, the bonds I gather, even the sparks that I create; my entire existence is for you, and nothing save the death of my existence will ever change that. But being a part of me...you already knew that, huh?" I smiled as I could feel him nodding into my chest. "Well, it's time we stop moping around. We've got each other now, right, partner?" Coming to terms with who I would be spending my life here in Beacon.

I let go of him and dodged a punch to the face. "Heh! I knew you were going to do tha-oof!" And he socked me in the gut. Well that's new.

"...let's go," he urged, now smirking at my downed form. He then walked off to what I knew was the direction of the temple, the knowledge of another life lived giving him a general idea of the goings on of now.

"Urgh. Well. At least he seems a little more sociable now."

It seemed that, in addition to me, the world would soon come to fear the young man known as Trent Systema.

* * *

><p>As the temple came in sight, a question popped into my head. "Hey Trent...how exactly did you get here, anyway?"<p>

He stopped in his tracks and I waited. And waited. Annnnd waited.

Finally after fifteen minutes Trent shook his head and continued walking.

"...don't ask."

I tilted my head in contemplation then shrugged. I guess it didn't really matter in the big scheme of things. Take me for example. I came into this world because some higher up entity slacked off on the job. Way to go buddy, really appreciate the effort.

When we finally got to the temple that I had fondly dubbed 'Stonehenge', we found that some of the 'relics' were already taken.

"Damn it, all the little ponies are missing!" I cried in dismay. Half a week before the start of the term I had decided to screw continuity and mess with the universe. Unfortunately it appeared that the 'powers that be' for this world didn't want me to interfere too deeply. Not that it really mattered; even I saw the slight changes that I had created due to my meddling.

Trent shook his head with a close-eyed smile, as if he was dealing with a child. He observed what pieces were left and decided on a small orb, something that I hadn't realized was part of the selection. Was it something that had been originally taken?

"Alright, my turn!" I squealed excitedly, hoping to get a matching set with my partner. "Hmm, that's weird. There doesn't seem to be a match," I said as I scratched my head.

Trent tapped my shoulder impatiently and pointed at a certain pillar. "Trent? What is it that...you...want..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"DIBS!"

I picked up my item, a multicolored object with multicolored sides. I immediately tried to fiddle with it until Trent swat me upside my head with one of his swords' handles. "Hey that hurts!"

He rolled his eyes and ignored me, then continued to swat me. "Hey, seriously, cut that out! You're going to poke an eye out if you keep doing that!"

He rose his brow as if asking, 'is that what it's going to take?', and then pointed both of his swords to my face.

"Muu, killjoy," I said with a pout as I put away my 'relic.' Trent smirked in victory as we began our journey back to the cliffs.

"Ten lien says that we run into more trouble," I chimed in, trying to get a rise out of the stoic boy.

"That's a sucker's bet."

My eyes widened, and I almost fell on my face when he had held his scroll up for me to read. I chuckled when I had realized it was his way to compensate for his lack of communication.

"And what have you been doing in this world?"

Trent didn't notice when I froze in my tracks, nor when my body was racked with tremors for the better of three seconds. When he did look back to check on me, he was met with my forced false smile on my face, my brain trying to bury memories of times best left forgotten.

"You don't want to know." And it was the only answer I could come up with. I had a lot of times to think in the past few weeks, and a great majority of those thoughts were now repressed. I suppose it was unfortunate that I couldn't enforce a more permanent way of repression, but whatever. I wasn't that choosy.

"So, you think that it's gonna be as easy as it was for you to get back to the cliffs?" I asked Trent in a way go subconsciously get us going. He shook his head, as if he was thoroughly convinced that something stupid was bound to happen. "Oh, don't be such a stick in the mud!"

**"AWROOOOOOOOOOO!"**

...it seems I've forgotten the reason why I can't have nice things. Allow me to reiterate and revise what I had stated.

At the most inopportune moment, something will come along and inevitably tear my shit apart.

"...I blame you." I do too, Trent, I do too.

* * *

><p><strong>And for a little bonus (not really), it's time for an omake! Whoo!<strong>

_The Strange Displacement of Trent Systema (alternatively, The Apperance of Tren-neko Systemia) Part One_

Living a life in, what Trent had come to dub as, the RWBYverse was not as bad as he had first come to believe.

He was part of a team of broken (in every sense of the word) people that he enjoyed being in. He had come to meet with strange individuals that he would not have if he had stayed with his father. He was a person that had almost complete control of his life.

Yes, Trent knew instinctively that there was someone, somewhere, dictating the events that had occurred in his life; past, present, and future. Realization of this drew him to hate the being that carelessly toyed with the lives of everyone he knew. That was why he always glared toward the sky at some being that, he would never admit, was on a higher plane of existence. But as long as life was tolerable, Trent would tolerate it as well. And so far, life was going great, as far as he was concerned.

Then he disappeared. At least, he would wink out of existence only for a moment.

But for Trent, that moment lasted for another lifetime.

* * *

><p>Trent knew that something was wrong. The warm constricting walls and the lack of control in his limbs had nothing to do with it. Instead, it was the sudden shift from a bright, sunny day to absolute darkness that clued him that something was amiss.<p>

Despite not being able to move, Trent calmly assessed the situation, and created a theory on what just happened.

_"Someone just screwed me over."_

Contrary to his belief, it was not the person that he had thought had done it.

Trent grew tired fast, faster than should have been possible for him. The only things that he had observed in his tiny prison was that he was alone in a cramped space and that there was something long and slender that was curved in front of him. He could only tell because said object was nestled in between his fingers, which still refused to move to his will.

Frustrated at his lack of progress, Trent decided to do the one thing that had constantly eluded him since he had arrived at Beacon Academy. Something that he had so desperately wished that he could do in peace and quiet. Something he could do _alone_.

Trent slept. For as long as he wanted, with no interruptions.

And Trent slept for a very long time.

* * *

><p>Trent woke up periodically in his little space, but nothing seemed to change. He did, however, note that the walls seemed to suspiciously close in on him at very infinitesimal increments. Almost enough so that he would have been hard pressed to notice it at all. Almost.<p>

This worried the boy to no end, especially when the walls actually started to press against his skin. When this first happened, he was dismayed that he could do nothing against it, but then was even more shocked when the strange object he was holding twitched when he had become startled. The realization had startled him further, which resulted in a second, stronger twitch. Thankfully, this did not send him in a circle of reactions. Much to the disappointment of the readers.

Trent eventually learned to deal with the encroaching walls, but had had a harder time drifting to sleep because of it. He then resorted to his favorite past time of blaming the creators of the universe for the mess he was in.

On a side note, we do not keep track of how many terrible situations Trent has been in. The only thing we can confirm is that there are too many to count.

Trent immediately regretted his actions when the walls suddenly decided to retaliate by squishing him at a more intense rate. By this time, Trent had some semblance of control over his arms, so he decided to put it to good use, to no avail. He then decided to kick the walls, another action that turned against him when the walls pushed against him with renewed force.

All hope seemed lost for Trent, who was actually waiting for his miserable existence to end, hoping against hope that no one would ever know that he had succumbed to death by being squeezed alive. His pessimistic way of thinking, however, had gotten him to miss something.

He was being moved.

If Trent had bothered to notice, instead of lamenting with his cries of 'poor me!', he would have noticed that the walls were systematically pushing toward a new place, a better place.

By the time he had finally seen the light, he was already a man. Wait a sec, that's not right (well, it was in the mental sense)...oh, here it is.

By the time he had seen the light, Trent had given up hope, and was really hoping that he could fall asleep in...wherever he ended up.

Which was why it came as a great shock when the light struck his eyes.

His immediate action was to shut his eyes, an action that had become instinctive to him due to the nature of his life. The second thing he did was to cry out in frustration. And cry he did. Just not in the way that he had imagined it would go. That only served to make him cry louder.

'Why the hell am I a baby!?' "Waaaaaahhh!"

So Trent cried his little heart out to show that he was alive and capable of drawing breath.

Unfortunately, it still didn't stop the doctor from spanking his ass just to make sure, and Trent cried again at the unfairness of it all.

* * *

><p><strong>Authors notes<strong>

**Gray: And with that, another chapter is done!**

**45: No way, this has gotta be a fluke.**

**Omega: Seriously, you can't have done this! You got more days at work now! How does that even-**

**Gray: Um! Graduated from moist boy to a powder boy! Feel free to imagine what I could possibly mean by that. And to stop certain lines of thinking, it in no way implies anything perverted or sexual. My coworkers would say otherwise, of course.**

**45: You also found your Vita. How did you get this chapter out so...okay, not fast, but sooner than usual?**

**Omega: Anime, my friend.**

**Gray: That's right! And on that note, I kinda liked Seraph of the End. My brothers likened it to Attack on Titan, but I liked it. Similar to fanfiction, if It entertains me, then I'm okay with it. That being said...**

**All: Enjoy the day!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I'm not making any money off of this. I do however enjoy writing it. Not _because_ it isn't mine, but because I'm a sadistic little kid messing with another world. Whee. Oh. And here's some fun stuff!**

* * *

><p>Dialogue Help; Example<p>

"Regular speech"; "It's quite normal for commoners."

'Thoughts' (also expressed regularly as observation sentences, i.e. without use of apostrophes or other punctuation); 'But it's still a little confusing.'/ Like this.

_"Inner Voice"; "I say everything you don't want others to hear!"_

**"Empowered Speech"; "Like being possessed, or YELLING REALLY LOUD!"**

"Electronically Displayed Message" (TrentSpeak); "Get on with the story, damn it!"

* * *

><p>Christ, fine! Slavedriver...I never explained Trent, did I?<p>

"Oh for fuc-"

No no, the audience needs this! Ahem. Trent Systema is an OC character originally from my one other RWBY fanfic, who I brought into this mayhem because I didn't want his appearance to be a one shot omake deal that I had originally intended. A fiction within fiction, mind you. Please accept his emo bishounen shota goodness into your hearts!

"You little-"

On with the story!

* * *

><p>Chapter 6<p>

"I swear, are these the only Grimm that I am ever going to see?" I asked myself as a pack of Beowolves began to pour out into the clearing that Trent and I were standing in. I thought it awfully convenient that we just _happened_ to encounter a horde of Grimm, right in a _wide open space_ that _both_ sides could take advantage of in our fighting. As if to prove my point, the Beowolves began to fan out, encircling and entrapping us in a furry circle of soulless death.

Trent chose this moment to swat me upside the head again, not because we stood there idiotically and chose to let the Beowolves surround us, but because I had spoken key words that would allow Murphy to work his magic on us. That was his reason for standing still next to me; he had waited with his crossbow rifle ready to kill the first thing that dared to venture from beyond the trees.

That being said, it was very fortunate that none of the newly formed teams passed by the impromptu death match of man and beast.

"What a drag," I complained as pistols appeared in my hands at a twitch of the wrist. Likewise, Trent readjusted his rifle so that it would now spray bullets in a continuous fire.

_"The enemy seems to be about ten strong. Odds look good, especially when you factor in all the experience that Trent has. If you had partnered with anyone else, Main Characters not included, you probably would have been_ _screwed right about now."_ The Voice sure had the oddest sense of timing.

'Noted.' I replied as the creatures of darkness finally began to make there move.

Three of the Beowolves charged at me in staggered waves, slightly catching me off guard. I compensated by unloading a full clip of bullets at the forwardmost one, jumping back when the other two began swiping at me. Similarly, Trent had taken down the two that had decided to charge him in the same fashion, both of his targets taken out by the fact that his gun fired faster, longer, and had larger caliber bullets than my own. Somehow, I feel as if I should be annoyed with that statement.

'Well, I guess now is as good a time as any to conduct a live field test.'

"Trent, throw me!" I shouted as we ended up back to back.

It spoke so much of his trust in me that he did as I had asked with no hesitation.

"Urk!"

Admittedly, he probably could have grabbed me by the back of my suit jacket instead of my GG scarf, but he still got the job in done in the end.

I was sent flying toward my last two opponents, not an ideal situation for most fighters, but for me it happened to be the best approach. I reached underneath my shirt, an awkward affair that I would have to fix, and pulled out the rectangular object that Ms. Xiao Long had the pleasure of groping. As The Voice had said the other day, the thing in my hand was most certainly a gun, a highly customized and situational gun at that. But just like so many other weapons wielded by Huntsman and Huntresses, it was so much more than it appeared to be.

Time seemed to slow down after I pulled the box out of me. As if reacting to my touch, the obsidian bar split into two down its length, the end pieces I held beginning to shrink and adjust to the circumference of my grip. Impossibly, the bars began to shrink and pull into themselves, in the form of interlocking metal plates and internal servos and gears. By the time the transformation was completed, two things could be observed: I had a distance of ten feet left to cover and that the weapons in my hand, twin blades of the darkest night, were now almost a third of their original size. Still just as heavy though.

The flow of time then decided to kick back in, the resistance of the air pushing back at me, giving me a rush of exhilaration. I drew both swords to my left side, both my index fingers lightly touching the triggers still present in both swords, and I fired the gun component of my weapon while simultaneously swinging my sword to the right. I got the intended effect down pat, my entire body now becoming a deadly bladed whirlwind of death. Trent would later tell me that I more resembled a spinning top of doom, but I preferred my description more to his.

Needless to say, the Beowolves didn't stand a chance. Despite spinning faster and being unable to properly see my surroundings, it was not enough to deter me from setting my sights on the two black blurs that were upon me. I hardly had to adjust the angle of my blades; I could already feel them biting into the strange pseudo-flesh that made up the two Grimm.

It didn't last, however, and the moment my feet touched upon the ground I lost control of my balance (not that I had any midair) and spun out, the action finally causing me to tumble along the ground before my body slid to a stop. When I was finally oriented enough to get back on my feet-a process that took only a few seconds, thanks to Aura-I was pleased to see the destruction I had caused.

The first Beowolf was neatly bisected in two across the waist. He was already beginning to fade away when I had turned to look at him. The second one was not as lucky as his fallen friend. He had a long gash across his chest that extended from waist to hip, an arm was now lying pitifully on the ground, and it looked like the poor thing was in need in of an eye patch. He was definitely well on his way to the dusty afterlife. Maybe as a robot.

I turned to Trent to excitedly congratulate on our achievement, but my smile quickly became a frown when I saw him. "Aww, come on!"

Trent just shrugged nonchalantly, one of his blades whistling innocently as he twirled it along his side. He walked over to a dead Beowolf on his side and plucked out a second sword that had been sheathed directly into its spine. He turned to me with his blank face, but I could see the damned smirk that he showed from his expressive eyes.

In the time it took for me to finish our semi-team attack, Trent had killed off three more Beowolves.

I glared at him, the fact that he was so much awesome than I was rubbing me in the wrong way, but then shifted my attention to the two remaining Grimm. I had at first thought that they had been more intelligent, that they were waiting for things to play out until they had a chance to catch us by surprise, but, just like their fellow beasts, they charged at us with reckless abandon.

I sighed in disappointment and swiftly aimed my twin gun blades at them. "And winner for most pointless death is-"

BANG

...I turned my head to my partner, an uncharacteristically satisfied smirk settled on his lips. His eyes met mine, and his grin only grew wider at my irritation.

"KSing cheater! Those two were totally mine!" I rounded my guns at him and opened fire. He only rose his brow as my bullets sparked and splashed around his field of Aura, a strange phenomenon indeed. "Okay, that's just not fair!"

"I've been here longer than you have, remember? Of course I'm going to be better than you at this," he replied, his scroll held up to my eyes.

I only intensified my glare. Ohh, so he wanted to be a little upstart now, did he?

_"Y'know, you could always do that..."_

'That?'

_"That."_

'Ohh...' "That."

That single word succeeded in grabbing Trent's attention, the narrowing of his eyes the only thing that hinted that he knew that I was going to do something stupid.

"Man, that fight was _sooo_ easy!"

Trent's eyes widened at this. He reloaded his rifle at an inhuman pace, looking as if he was not sure if he should shoot me, or wait for the danger that would surely come when I incited it.

"I didn't even break a sweat!"

And as if I rang a dinner bell, the brush around us was suddenly alive with noise and activity. Bipedal forms made their way toward us, a tangle of furred limbs all preparing their claws to tear us apart. For some reason it seemed as if the creatures were content to only approach us from the front. All the more better for us. But...why...?

"Are those things freakin' stupid?" Trent asked. "I expect this from you, and maybe Jo, but mostly you."

"You shut your mouth, you lazy bastard," I retorted, watching the growing crowd of wolves. They were starting to reach the point of the Red trailer capacity. "Now get ready. I'm not going to be able to be able to do this by myself."

I slammed my swords together. At that moment it seemed as if the two weapons melted into each other, the handles weaving and contracting together to better fit into my hands. The blades, now indistinguishable as the two they once were, abruptly folded out, increasing the reach of my sword more than double their original length. I tested it out by swinging it horizontally. Despite the drastic change in appearance, the sword weighed as it did in my two hands; it was still insanely heavy. Perfect for smashing through any and all forms of pitiful defense.

"This is more like it!" I exclaimed excitedly as I shifted into a stance more fitting to this longer sword. "All I need is a kickass wing and coat, and then you could call me General!"

This of course earned me a smack to the head, but I deemed it as totally worth it.

Trent spun his respective blades as well, a whirlwind of deadly efficiency in his hands.

"Let's do this!"

_"Yeah!"_

I dove straight into the heart of the dark creatures horde, Trent trailing right after me. I swept the long sword in front of me, taking out a line of Beowolves, then proceeded to power dash my way through, sword held before me, impaling more Grimm than my previous swing had taken out.

Trent watched my back as I started to hack and slash a circle around us, his blades lopping off heads and limbs in a mad fury. In a testament of his skill, he swung his blades in a full circle and followed up with another full circumference swing. The group surrounding him paused for a moment before falling down in a mess of body parts, some disappearing before they hit the floor.

At this point we were now too far in to run without fighting. In response to our new situation, I willed my sword to change form again, the blade and hilt becoming wider to accommodate. With this new sword, I began my attack again with wild abandon.

"Heads up!"

Trent ducked his head, nearly avoiding accidental decapitation at my hands, and my sword spiraled by, cleaving the bodies of Beowolves as it carelessly spun on its way, before it finally stopped when it stuck into a tree. Not the first tree it hit, mind you. It actually went through three whole trees before stopping.

"Idiot, you could have killed me!"

"My bad!" I yelled as I landed on my sword. I began yanking at it, quickly becoming dismayed when I found that I couldn't pull it out. "Shit! Trent hold on!"

"...everytime," Trent muttered under his breath. Not that I was around to hear it. He saw what I had done and looked as if he had a flash of inspiration. As I watched, he began attaching wires to his blades, the thin metal themselves seeming to feed into a retractable spool.

"No fucking way..." I whispered as I watched on as Trent began a new spree of carnage on the hapless Beowolves.

A blade speared through the head of one, before quickly being pulled out, then changed direction in mid flight to dismember another Grimm standing closely by, followed by a kick that further redirected it toward a new target. The other blade was spinning circles around Trent, making quick work of any Grimm that dared to approach the Huntsman and his orbiting weapon.

Trent wasn't still either. While expertly manipulating both swords with one hand, his other was handling his rifle, the chamber and components having switched to a mode that allowed it to fire smaller caliber rounds. Not that it would have deterred him in the least. And even as he did this, he was flying through the different groups of Grimm, none of them ever getting close enough to attack, swiftly being taken down in a combination of blade and bullet.

"Hey! Catch!"

Trent sheathed his rifle in a quick fluid motion and easily transitioned to catching the great sword I had thrown at him. His eyes widened imperceptibly and a grin marred his face. Even at the distance that I was, I could tell that he really liked my sword.

Akin to throwing a pair of bolas, he threw his own blades at me, and I was only barely able to catch them due to the fact that that was what Trent intended for me to do.

In a strange reversal of roles, Trent dived at the remaining Grimm with an insane smile on his face, while I chose to take my chances at running around their guards, stabbing and slicing whenever any opportune chances presented themselves.

"We are the Murderstorm!" I yelled out to no one in particular.

* * *

><p>It took a few more minutes of intense fighting, but the fighting was finally coming to a close. Only a handful of Beowolves remained, but they didn't have anything special that made them different from the ones we had completely destroyed just moments ago.<p>

Trent had deemed me skilled enough to take care of myself at this point, and he had taken to the trees, watching as I slowly worked myself down to my last few opponents.

"3! 2! 1! Aaaaand done!" I cried as the last Beowolf finally fell. I breathed out a sigh of relief at the edge of the clearing when it was all over. Whew, that was quite a workout!

_"Booyah! Go us! Now can we please leave before something worse happens?"_ The Voice pleaded worriedly.

"Oh, c'mon! What can possibly happen?" I said with a satisfied grin plastered on my face.

"GRAY!"

THUNK

* * *

><p>Trent froze when the dark mass, far larger than any of the Beowolves he had just fought, silently looked behind his partner. When he had finally shook himself free from his terror, he could only shout out one word.<p>

"GRAY!"

The form descended on his creator, and Trent nearly screamed when he couldn't see him under the mass of black matted fur. Swords out, he stopped in front of the creature, fully intent to kill it in the most painful way possible if Gray was even a tiny bit hurt.

**"Now really."**

Trent's body stopped completely when he heard this voice. It was Gray, there was no confusion there, but it sounded different, distorted.

The body of the unknown Grimm rose in front of him, revealing the face of his friend. But Trent didn't sigh in relief at the sight; he almost ran away in fear.

The figure that emerged underneath the dead and fading Grimm was holding it up with a pitch-black spear. But it was not another form of the dark blade that his friend had been wielding; no, this new shadowy form had extended from the scarf that hung around his neck.

**"It takes a lot more than that to catch me off guard. Now, if you don't mi**nd, Trent and I have an initiation to finish. Ready to go buddy?"

Trent stared warily as Gray flung the remains of the Grimm into the distant forest, not caring if the body hit anything on its way. Gray then turned around to make his way to the cliffs. "Man, I really have to stop doing that, my eyes hurt like a bitch! Trent, can you carry me?"

Gray was swatted on the head again, but Trent could understand the reason why his friend was complaining about his eyes.

Before Gray had flung the Grimm away, Trent witnessed the shadowy tendrils fade away from Gray's eyes and face.

* * *

><p>Exactly as Trent experienced it, the return trip back to the Beacon Cliffs was oddly lackluster. Upon arrival, they were told that they had accidentally stumbled upon a strange phenomenon among Grimm, where they gathered in large numbers in anticipation of getting to large or numerous auras. Trent and I shrugged, not at all convinced that we caused any of it.<p>

For that, I blame Ozpin and the Teachers.

It seemed that events played out the way they should, Trent amused by my pouting that the universe was trying to thwart all my attempts to screw with continuity. Well, the joke's on the universe, our presence here has already ensured that the set future is now void and unknown.

We were back in the auditorium, canon poking in its nasty little head as Ozpin finished declaring the teams as they were in their original timeline. But...

"Trent...Systema. Gray. The two of you retrieved two items that had no correlation or relations to the others."

I grinned as I fiddled with the cube in my hand, the now completed block with a solid color on each side, before I scrambled it up and worked on it with a single hand. Gray chose at this moment to turn his head and avoid Ozpin's eyes. It may have worked in a different situation, but the too-innocent manner that he was whistling in quickly gave him away.

"Mr. Systema...where is your piece?" Ozpin asked curiously as he looks at his somewhat smaller and lighter-haired double.

Gray sighed in defeat and proceeded to point at the back of my head. Dead on the favorite spot that he loved to use when he reprimanded me was a splotch of bright neon pink. On a side note, that area did bleed and bruise when he decided to snipe me with the small orb, but, well, you know, aura and all that nonsense.

Ozpin rose a brow at this, and even Trent had the decency to be embarrassed, a light pink adorning his face now that he had been caught destroying his 'relic'. I finished the cube again and shoved it in my pocket, giving a warning look at Ozpin, telling him that the cube was now mine.

"Yes, well...because there was an uneven amount of students...but mostly because of the unorthodox methods you have employed..." Hm? Ah, yes. Thinking back to it now, what me and Trent did seemed nothing less than suicide to most people. Of course, we did have the skills to back up the idiocy we called a fight, but we could have handled that so much better.

"In light of the events that have taken place, we have decided that the two of you will not lead any teams this year." Trent and I nodded our heads sagely at this, both completely agreeing to the conclusion that the staff must have gotten to. "You will, however, be accompanying other teams as they perform their missions. You are to defer command to them at all times, unless circumstance permits otherwise. As of today, you two will be freelance students that may be freely contracted by other teams, but only if the necessary legal work gets by me. Do I make myself clear?" Ozpin's voice rose as he addressed the audience, and he smirked when he saw how swiftly the students reacted to him.

I had to say, I was impressed again by the man standing in front of me. Not only did he have backup units for missions available now, but he insured that only parties that truly needed us for something would go straight to him to request us. God knows that I hated to assume the responsibilities entitled to the name of 'Leader', and Trent would have hated it because it would cut into his personal time, which I'm pretty sure entailed a huge amount if sleeping. The fact that we would probably leave our teammates behind unconsciously was just another minor oversight we both chose to ignore.

Ozpin looked as if he was going to say something profound, but the moment his eyes landed on me and Trent again he closed his eyes and sighed, putting a hand over his face. "Just...try to behave yourselves, please?"

With the duo nightmare scarves covering the lower halves of our faces, Trent and I chose to reply with eye smiles, the upside down U's causing Ozpin to visibly grown. I put that as another achievement under my belt.

_"You know what I just figured out?"_ the voice of unreason asked me.

'No, what?'

_"Well, if we changed yours or GG's names to something that begins with an 'M', then we can be TGTM (Tag team)!"_

'The hell? Since when did all of us make up a team? Not that what you're saying is a bad idea...but you don't even have a body?' I reasoned.

_"Yet."_

'Say what?'

_"I don't have a body _yet_."_

'...okay, what the hell are you planning-'

_"Aww, c'mon! Are trying to stop me from getting a body?"_

'Yes! Yes, I am totally stopping you from getting a body! You're probably going to use some esoteric tantric ritual against my will, or some other extreme measures!'

Little did I and my insanity know, teams RWBY and JNPR were making their way towards us, only the tapping on my shoulder successfully snapping out of my mental debate.

"What?!" I yelled/demanded of the person who was irritating my shoulder.

"Gah!"

The crowd of eight backed off, sans Juane, who had instead began snickering when he watched the growing annoyance on my face.

"We were just going to congratulate you and your partner for passing!" Ruby shouted as she started pounding her fists into my chest. I found it oddly...cute? Damn my mind...and you too prick!

_"Bite me!"_

"As Ruby was saying, good job on passing with the rest of us," Ren offered politely. Out of all the people here, I think him, Juane, and Nora are the ones that were on better terms with me.

"Why did you lie about being mute?" Pyrrha asked innocently.

"It's called a prank, dear. I like messing with people as much-okay a lot more then a lot of people," I admitted.

Pyrrha smiled when I told her, but Weiss chose to take it as some sort of insult, and looked away with a huff. Whatever, princess.

"Congratulations, Gray," Juane said in an uncharacteristically formal manner. Oh?

"The same to you as well, Master Arc," I returned with a bow. "I must say, it was a much more harrowing ordeal than I had originally conceived, but we all've passed this by with grace and dignity."

Some members of both groups started snickering, and Trent chose that moment to show me his phone.

"Don't you mean with all the grace of a raging berserker?"

I wrapped an arm around his head and started to _massage_ my fist into his skull. "You pretentious little-! Takes one to know one! And I saw you too, fool!"

The others just watched our little comedy with amusement until Blake stepped up. Our eyes locked and she nodded her head a little at me. In contrast, Trent seemed to freeze up when Blake's roaming eyes fell on him. She narrowed her eyes as if thinking, then decided to ask Trent a question.

"Have we met before?" she asked with arms crossed.

I heard the breaking of glass next to me, and turned to see horror written on Trent's face. Luckily for him, this was not visible to the surrounding crowd.

"...noooo?"

I swear there was a comical sweat drop on my head when I heard Trent say this. Could he make it any more obvious that he was lying? Speaking of which, did he meet her in this timeline before?

"Bwah!"

I fell to the floor as a blur knocked Trent out of my grasp and took him.

"...whyyyy?" Trent whined as Nora began to fuss over him. Hah, it seems that even in another universe Trent couldn't escape his face.

"I've been meaning to ask you..."

"Eh?"

I turned my head to find Ruby and Yang, who were now poking my back. I resisted the urge to spasm and giggle, a weakness I knew would be used against me when I least expected it. "What exactly does this represent, Gray?"

I smiled when I finally got what they were pointing out. I urged everyone to stand away, and with a swing of my arms my jacket was now presenting it's back to everyone.

There, over a background of white, an unfinished sun loomed at a distance as the top of the image, a flock of birds flying into its light. Below, represented in a larger size to create the illusion of being closer, was a single black feather, a red shadow underneath.

"This..." I began, a sad smile on my face, "...this is one representation of the Creator of this world. I thought it would only be right that there should be a person here to display a memorial of his greatness to this school. To show that he lives on in our hearts."

"Huh, I never took you for the religious type," replied Yang. I shook my head.

"Don't get me wrong. I don't flaunt this image around to show faith for some higher being. I just...I want people to know that they shouldn't forget there origins. That since they were a part of a creation because 'why the fuck not?', they should take pride in living in such a beautiful world."

Some of them seemed inclined to disagree, their minds easily jumping to the Grimm infesting the world. I shook my head in a closed-eye smile, my head comparing the teens in front of me to young, innocent children. "C'mon Trent, I still gotta show you the room we're staying in! I decked it out myself and everything!"

Taking this as the excuse to escape Nora's grasp, Trent leapt up off of Nora's lap and proceeded to drag me away from the group.

"Wait, Trent, we're going the wrong way~!"

Trent ignored me and continued to put distance between us and the students who were still lingering in the auditorium. I smiled when I saw them all laughing at my expense. Like Ozpin would have said, things were shaping up to be an interesting year.

Oh, what am I saying?

"C'mon, Trent, we got a walk-in fridge, electronics, and otherworldly goods in our room!" I grinned when Trent's steps became wider and faster.

Let the chaos begin!

* * *

><p>I apologize if I tore open any emotional wounds with what I wrote. And even though this is may be a weird change in mood for some, here's another omake to enjoy! Unfortunately, it is not a continuation of Trent's appearance in this world. But those will come.<p>

Fun Fact: This was the intended ending to the huge horde fight, but I felt it came off as to crack-ficish.

* * *

><p>"I just so happen to have the best CC type weapon on me." And I did.<p>

_"Huh? I don't remember you getting anything important!"_

'That's because you don't know how to determine the true worth of the gifts we've been given.'

Honestly, it was by complete chance that I had found this potentially powerful weapon. Ever since the robbery, I had begun to frequent the Vale branch CosCon, becoming a regular in only half a week. I was easily enamored with the various similarities that I found in this world's enthusiasts and our own. In comparison to other places, it was like a tertiary home to me. But I digress.

During one of my outings something familiar caught my eye. Something that I had knowledge, that I had worshipped, and had been disappointed when it never made a reemergence in the series that it had originated from. So it was with intense glee that I had purchased said item that day. And now it would see the light of day again as the glorious weapon it could have been.

I took the stick off my back and snapped it in half across my knee, grabbing the attention of all the beings n the clearing.

"This is for all the guys like me that can't catch a break," I cried. I rose my hands in reverence, and a pole with an attachment appears in my hands. My hands glided over the grooves and indentations, memorizing the grip that was used on the thing in my hands to optimize its performance.

'Almost three hundred years of use, and yet it seems as if this has only been used a handful of times,' I mused to myself. Subtle probing with my aura allowed to feel the insane amounts of foreign energy that was held within this instrument of destruction. And I was about to unleash it all on these poor unsuspecting soulless.

"..."

Trent was giving me the equivalent of a 'WTF' face, The Voice also ranting in a way that reflected the emotions on Trent's usually inexpressive face.

_"You've got to be kiddng me! This is your brilliant plan?"_

"Ayup," I spoke out loud, seeming to confirm the similar question that Trent was asking as well.

_"You're not serious, are you?"_/"Are you really going to risk upturning a part of the forest for this?"

"Absolutely."

_"You're not joking, are you?"_/"You think any of them will survive?"

"Not at all."

_"I should have expected this, huh?"_/"...can I use it next?"

"Of course!"

_"But...but...it's a besom!? What would swinging that even accomplish!?"_

"Watch me."

I took the NH Broom in my hands and twirled it in a lackadaisical manner. Like a lot of things so far, it was awfully covenient that the great pack of Beowolves were all gathered in a large group in front of me. Turning a dial near the head, I called out the name I had given this new weapon and swung at the beasts amassed before me.

**"STAFF OF ELUCIA!"**

Had I not braced my legs with aura, I would have been a victim to Newton's cruel law of equal and opposite reactions. As it stands, all the power coursed through my legs and into the ground.

It was not subtle, it was not slow, and it certainly did not act as an element of any kind. I couldn't describe it as an energy, what appeared at that instant was an impossible force of nature that tore forward at an instant at it's unwilling targets: the Beowolves. They were blown apart in varying degrees of damage, some being torn asunder into numerals pieces, others only being blown away into the distance.

The forest was not exempt from the destruction either. Whole trees were uprooted by the sheer wave of power that was unleashed, the ones further off barely leaving a stump to remember them by. I could see how lingering Grimm that had yet to enter the clearing were blown away as well.

When I was finally snapped out of my awe, I gaped at the destruction I had caused.

The landscape was blown away and sideways from the deep scar that was cleaved into the earth. All the Grimm were either gone or fading before my very eyes. I looked to the cleaning implement in my hands, the world suddenly shifting into darkness. "Sometimes all it takes...

is one sweep."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes<strong>

**Gray: And we are done! Don't expect another quick release guys, I just had a lot of time on my hands!**

**45: Mostly because he cut down on reading fanfiction.**

**Omega: On a side note, it looks as if Gray's starting another project...even though we told him not to.**

**Gray: Oi! It's not my fault my muse likes to run around like a jackass!**

**45: And we put up with your idiocy why?**

**Gray: Because we're friends.**

**Omega and 45: ...damn it, just...just enjoy the day guys.**


End file.
